Xu Zifan took off his hat and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Professor Bai! Your praise has given me great encouragement. Thank you!"
Bai Yuchen picked up the conversation, "I've seen the video of you during your interview with the staff. You seemed a little insecure back then, didn't you?"
"Yes! After all, there were many outstanding trainees participating with me, and I was actually a little nervous when I signed up." Xu Zifan shrugged and put his hat back on.
Bai Yuchen chuckled and said, "I didn't notice any stage fright in you. From the moment you walked in, I felt that you were full of confidence. Are you nervous now?"
Xu Zifan smiled calmly and said, "I'm not nervous at all. I'll just make the best of it. With such a great stage and learning opportunity, I think I just need to show my best. If the mentors can comment on my performance and point out my strengths and weaknesses, I will feel very honored. If I have the opportunity to learn from the mentors for a few more sessions, I will feel extremely honored. So this path only moves forward, there is no turning back. I am very happy now and not nervous at all."
"Honestly, we didn't realize you were so happy about that either." Bai Xingchen chuckled at him, patted his brother's arm, and asked the other mentors, "Right? Did you guys notice? He's such a calm and collected guy."
"Yes, yes, he was so calm, and his performance was very steady and confident. I thought he was an established artist performing, and I didn't even realize he was a contestant. I was also captivated by him, just like Sister Xingchen. He was really great!" Cheng Man smiled and gave Xu Zifan a thumbs up.
Zhou Peng asked, "Can you write your own songs? Can you rap?"
Xu Zifan shrugged and laughed, "I really like songwriting and rap, but I haven't really looked into it. I've only sung a few songs at school parties before, and that's all I've done. Now that I'm here, I want to learn properly, and I hope I can ask Mentor Zhou for advice on this in the future."
Zhou Peng nodded, "Okay! I look forward to your performance later."
Yu Hai continued, "Can you dance? Your little movements just now were very well-designed and matched the lyrics and music perfectly. But idol boy groups sometimes have some big, intense dance moves. Have you ever danced in school parties before?"
The school gala became a running joke, and everyone laughed. Xu Zifan thought for a moment and said, "I've never danced it before, but I can imitate it. Instructor Yu, could you dance a short segment so I can imitate it? Let's see how good my dance talent is."
Yu Hai looked at Bai Yuchen, who was actually very curious about how Xu Zifan would imitate him on the spot. This was quite a challenge, so he immediately nodded and said, "I think it's okay. What do you think, Yu Hai?"
Yu Hai stood up and said with a smile, "I also want to see if Xu Zifan has any talent for dancing. How about we choose a really exciting move?"
Xu Zifan readily agreed and even stepped aside in a gesture of invitation, showing no sign of nervousness whatsoever.
Yu Hai is a singer-dancer idol. He asked the staff to play one of his own high-energy, energetic songs and started dancing for about a minute. He incorporated slides, toe taps, arm movements in rhythmic motion, and leg kicks, all perfectly synchronized with the music. After finishing, he smiled at Xu Zifan and asked, "How was it? Did you see it clearly? Was this part okay?"
Xu Zifan had been watching every detail of his movements intently. Although his expression remained unchanged, he was actually very focused, and his photographic memory was no joke. He nodded and bowed slightly, saying, "Thank you for your hard work, Instructor. I've remembered it. Please see how I danced."
Yu Hai raised an eyebrow in surprise, nodded, and returned to his seat to watch him imitate. Xu Zifan said, "Excuse me, mentors," and then began to stretch his arms and legs.
Everyone laughed again, and Bai Xingchen said with amusement, "You look like you're about to start a fight, are you really imitating dancing?"
Xu Zifan said embarrassedly, "There's nothing I can do. I had a normal figure three months ago, and now I've suddenly become so fat. I feel a bit out of proportion. I'll get used to it first."
Bai Xingchen was surprised. "You really gained weight in three months? How much did you weigh before?"
Xu Zifan thought for a moment, "I used to weigh around 150 pounds, now I weigh 230 pounds."
Bai Xingchen looked at him incredulously, "Hmm... you've really gained a lot of weight."
After finishing his activities, Xu Zifan put down the microphone and smiled, "I'm ready!"
Next, he perfectly replicated Yu Hai's dance. Although he was twice the size of Yu Hai, and the loose-fitting t-shirt made his flesh tremble slightly when he did big movements, his movements were incredibly agile, every move was precise and rhythmic, making people want to move along with him.
The minute was quickly completed. Xu Zifan, slightly out of breath, bowed to his instructor and silently adjusted his breathing. Yu Hai pointed at Xu Zifan in astonishment, "You really did it! Unbelievable!"
Cheng Man also looked incredulous. "Because of your body type, your dance wasn't as clean and crisp or as beautiful as Yu Hai's, but it's really amazing that you could dance to that level after only watching it once. I think you should lose weight. Uh, I don't dislike fat people, but I think if you lose weight, your dancing will be amazing. I'm really looking forward to that day."
Xu Zifan laughed and said, "Okay, I also think dancing feels great. It's tiring to dance with my current weight, but I will definitely lose weight."
As the initiator, Bai Yuchen observed Xu Zifan very carefully from beginning to end, making a comprehensive evaluation in his mind.
He said with satisfaction, "To be honest, your balance is excellent, your overall coordination is superb, and you have great potential in dance. Now we have a good understanding of your overall qualities, so give us a little time to discuss it."
"Okay, thank you, White-haired Man."
Bai Yuchen turned off his microphone and spoke with the four mentors. Bai Xingchen was the first to say, "He has talent for singing, and even more talent for being an artist. He also said that he only gained weight in the last three months, which I don't think is a problem. He can definitely lose the weight. So he has a lot of potential to be an idol star. I give him an A."
Zhou Peng said, "He hasn't shown much in terms of songwriting and rap, so I can't judge him. But judging from his recent imitation of Yu Hai's dance, I think he has a strong learning ability and is worth looking forward to. I'll give him an A in this segment as encouragement."
Yu Hai and Cheng Man gave him an A without hesitation. In terms of dance, Xu Zifan didn't need to rehearse; he imitated the movements perfectly in one take and danced so accurately, he definitely has a talent for dance. Now they were just a little worried that he wouldn't be able to lose weight, but for this performance, Xu Zifan ignited the entire audience twice in a row, he deserved an A.
Bai Yuchen also liked Xu Zifan very much, thinking he had a great personality and had high expectations for his future. He glanced at the grade sticker on Xu Zifan's clothes and asked, "You chose 'A' yourself? What do you think we'll grade you?"
The contestants began to whisper among themselves.
I think it's A?
"It might be B, appearance also counts in the score."
"But he was very charismatic during his performance, so his appearance shouldn't be a negative factor."
"He probably thinks it's A himself, right? After all, he's the man who chose the throne."
Xu Zifan smiled calmly and said, "I hope it's an A. It's not arrogance or anything, I just hope that my strategy of playing to my strengths and avoiding my weaknesses can get me an A, which means that my overall qualities are not bad. But no matter whether it's an A or not, I will continue to work towards the throne, that's my goal for coming here."
"Huh? I've never heard you talk about your dreams, you've only ever talked about your goals. Is your dream to be a singer or an idol?" Bai Yuchen looked at him with some curiosity.
Xu Zifan shook his head, "I think I need to make sure I'm not broke before I can pursue my dreams. So, compared to dreams, my current goal is to debut as a star and make money. But I really enjoy singing and performing on stage. When I watch movies and TV series, I like to think about the characters. I think I'll really enjoy this profession and treat it like a hobby. Once I'm financially secure, I might have a dream and work hard to pursue it."
This topic is somewhat similar to the recent trend of playing the victim, but Xu Zifan spoke in a very relaxed manner, smiling naturally, just as Bai Xingchen said, like a calm and collected emperor. So no one thought he was playing the victim; on the contrary, they felt that he was just telling the truth, and could be said to be very genuine, considering only real-life issues.
Bai Yuchen laughed and said, "Looks like you really are eating dirt. Don't worry, the production team will provide meals for you during these months of filming, so you won't have to eat dirt for now. And..." He glanced down at the form in the folder and smiled, "Your rating is A, which matches your expectations. You can go to live in the best dormitory; the environment is great. I look forward to seeing the results of your future efforts."
Xu Zifan bowed, "Thank you, mentors. I won't let you down!"
The other contestants applauded to celebrate, most of them with no ill intentions. Seeing a chubby guy they initially thought was a rookie perform so well and get an A, they all gave Xu Zifan friendly smiles. Pan Yu, however, couldn't maintain his smile; this wasn't what he expected!
He persuaded Xu Zifan to participate in the competition just to see him humiliated! He wanted to crush Xu Zifan's self-esteem and make him the laughingstock of everyone, not for him to shine! How could Xu Zifan possibly perform so well? Even in this second life, is he still inferior to Xu Zifan? Will Xu Zifan still debut as the center of this boy band? What would be the point of everything he did then? He worked so hard to get into Shengshi Entertainment and become one of the best trainees; this opportunity is incredibly important to him. Now, is he going to be Xu Zifan's foil again? Impossible!
Amidst the cheers of the contestants, Xu Zifan walked up the steps. Pan Yu didn't want to face him at all, but Xu Zifan stopped on his step, handed him the hat, and smiled brightly, "Pan Zi, no, Pan Yu, thank you for the hat. It gave me a lot of points. Thank you so much today. I'll treat you to dinner when we get out. Just order whatever you want from the night market!"
"Only treating us to dinner at the night market? That's so cheap!" Everyone burst into laughter, amused by Xu Zifan's antics, and their tension eased. Pan Yu could only manage a proud smile, leaning forward to hug Xu Zifan, patting him on the shoulder and saying, "Then Owen won't hold back! Your performance was fantastic! Keep it up!"
"Good luck to you too!" Xu Zifan hugged him back, then calmly walked up to the throne and sat down. Pan Yu interacted with him to get more screen time, and so did he. With a hundred contestants and only so much time allotted for one episode, every extra shot meant leaving a stronger impression on the audience, and whoever got more screen time was more likely to get votes. Pan Yu was a highly regarded contestant from Shengshi Entertainment; he had released songs and had a certain level of popularity, so interacting with Pan Yu wasn't a bad deal for him. And once the "good brother" persona was established, the reversal would be even more dramatic when it was later revealed to be a fake friendship. Anyway, he was the victim, so there was nothing to worry about.
The mentors also noticed their interaction. Pan Yu and his friends were from Shengxing Entertainment, the same company as Yu Hai. Bai Yuchen simply said, "Since you're good friends, how about Shengxing Entertainment performs second?"
Pan Yu quickly stood up and bowed along with the other trainees from the same company, saying, "Okay!"
They walked down together, but Pan Yu was in a low mood. He and the other five from the company were supposed to go together.
He even managed to secure a solo performance opportunity. But Xu Zifan had just created a huge buzz on stage. Because Xu Zifan is overweight, his singing and dancing exceeded everyone's expectations, and everyone thought he was amazing. While he clearly sings and dances better than Xu Zifan, because he was already positioned very highly, his performance following closely behind Xu Zifan's wouldn't feel as impressive. Would people still think he was great?
Pan Yu, who had initially been confident, suddenly felt uncertain. Xu Zifan, sitting on the throne, smiled at Pan Yu as if he were looking at a good brother, but in reality, he was watching the show. He had deliberately spoken to Pan Yu before and after going down, so that the mentors would definitely call on Pan Yu to perform, creating a significant gap between the pressure on Pan Yu and everyone's expectations. Pan Yu wanted to scheme against him, so he dug a pit for him first.
The first episode's performance is crucial for making a good first impression. Whether Pan Yu can seize the opportunity to shine is uncertain, considering that his songs are all copied from the original artists. What highlights could he possibly have?
Pan Yu and his group quickly finished their self-introductions and began their group dance. Shengxing, as expected of a large entertainment company, produced trainees of very high quality. Their dance was synchronized and their coordination was excellent, drawing gasps from the audience who moved their bodies to the rhythm. Only the five mentors remained calm.
After they finished dancing, Yu Hai said, "This year's juniors are really strong. After watching them, I felt like the younger generation is surpassing the older generation, haha, what do you guys think?"
Cheng Man smiled and said, "The overall performance of the dance was very good. It's obvious that they practiced hard. I think it was pretty good and they have great potential. Especially Pan Yu in the middle, he performed very well."
Bai Yuchen shook his head, slightly disappointed, and said, "You're all very good in other aspects, but your balance isn't good enough. If this were a performance on a large stage, this level of performance would seem very restrained, like you're confined to a box and not letting loose. I can see you're a little nervous. Don't be nervous, and be sure to seize every opportunity to perform well."
Bai Xingchen glanced at them a few times and smiled, saying, "Your clothes, hairstyles, and hair colors are all great and very suitable for this performance. Your confidence is a little lacking, which you can work on. Also, your expressions and eyes when you dance, hmm..." She thought for a moment and nodded, "Actually, it's not bad. Keep up the good work."
She turned off the microphone and whispered to her younger brother, "My eyes and expressions can't compare to Xu Zifan's. He really did a great job. I feel like Xu Zifan has raised my standards too high. What should I do?"
Bai Yuchen joked, "Then you can only lower the standards by force, since others may not be able to act."
Zhou Peng, who was next to him, scrolled through the information on the tablet and asked, "Pan Yu can compose, right? He's already released two songs, and both of them are pretty good."
Pan Yu immediately replied, "Yes, I actually prepared a solo singing and dancing performance today. It's a song I wrote myself. May I perform it?"
He behaved very humbly, like a junior to a senior. Bai Yuchen raised his hand and said, "Of course."
After gathering his emotions, Pan Yu said, "I wrote this song when I first had a dream but didn't know how to pursue it. It was about feeling lost about the future, and then finding direction from it, gradually becoming more determined."
"Okay! We can begin."
The other trainees from Shengxing stepped aside, and as the music started, Pan Yu began to sing and dance. His lyrics were about dreams, with a slow, confused rhythm, a fast-paced burst of energy, and a steady, dynamic, and passionate rhythm after unwavering determination—the normal rhythm of pursuing dreams. The whole song had a lot of layers. He remembered that Xu Zifan had performed this song after his debut in his previous life, and at that time, fans said it was very touching, and industry insiders also gave it very good reviews; it was very popular.
Xu Zifan's previous performances were indeed very captivating, making people blush and their hearts race—that feeling of blood getting hot. Now, Pan Yu performed a song with such depth, which was very good, but it lacked that igniting feeling; it seemed to just miss a certain point. It didn't exceed their expectations, so his impression score was slightly lower than Xu Zifan's. And ultimately, compared to those who rely on talent, those who rely on experience and skill are still more popular.
After Pan Yu's performance, the mentors all thought it was pretty good, with good overall qualities, and after discussion, they gave him an A. However, they didn't shower him with praise or say much to him. Compared to Xu Zifan, the difference was immediately apparent. This kind of show is all about screen time; once the mentors call the next performer, they have to return to their seats. Having less screen time than Xu Zifan in the first episode made Pan Yu extremely unhappy!
But when he returned to his seat, Xu Zifan gave him a thumbs-up. Standing on the fourth step, he had to look up at Xu Zifan to return a smile without being impolite. Seeing Xu Zifan sitting high on the throne was an absolutely terrible feeling, and he could only maintain a smile and control his expression, which was incredibly uncomfortable.
Xu Zifan felt that going too far was counterproductive. He had already had enough screen time and jokes in this episode, which was enough to give the audience a good first impression. If he tried to steal the spotlight again, not only would the audience feel it was inappropriate, but the other contestants would also have objections. So, he sat quietly on the throne and watched everyone perform. Of course, he remained calm and relaxed throughout, and it was only during the mentors' comments that it was clear he was listening attentively.
By the time all one hundred contestants had finished performing, the recording had gone on late into the night. Some contestants were exhausted, and a few even fell asleep, all of which was captured by the ubiquitous cameras. Even the trainees from Shengxing Entertainment couldn't help but drift off and whisper among themselves. Only Xu Zifan and Pan Yu maintained a consistently good performance throughout, and of course, these were also recorded by the cameras. Although they weren't explicitly pointed out, the audience could see everyone's performance whenever the contestants were on camera. This was Xu Zifan's first appearance on the show.
Let's make it the last point.
After recording, a dozen or so staff members came in to organize everyone to go to their dormitories. The mentors left first, while Xu Zifan and the other six who were rated A walked at the front of all the contestants. They were going to the A-class dormitories, which were double rooms, with Wang Zuo having a single room—the most spacious and comfortable dormitories. The B-class had four-person rooms, the C-class had six-person rooms, and the D-class and F-class had eight-person rooms, only differing slightly in size.
There was a recording session before entering the dorm. Since there was no voting for the first episode, Xu Zifan, whether he sat on the throne or was ranked A, would be staying in the throne's single room. Unlike the other dorm rooms located on either side of the corridor, his was at the very end, making it very conspicuous. Xu Zifan opened the door and entered. The room was predominantly light blue, containing a double bed, a large wardrobe, a desk, an electronic keyboard, and a guitar. There were also some decorations on the walls, giving it a high-end feel.
Xu Zifan led the cameraman on a tour of the room with surprise, and said with a smile, "The white-haired man said the environment here is very good, and it really is. It's much better than the place I rent outside. I really want to stay here forever. By the way, the white-haired man also said that food is provided here, which is a bit of a pity. I'm planning to lose weight, so even if there's delicious food, I can't eat it. I might only be able to eat boiled vegetables."
After touring his own room, Xu Zifan went to Pan Yu's room next door. Pan Yu's room had two single beds, a small wardrobe, and a small desk. There were no musical instruments, and the room was significantly smaller than Xu Zifan's. Xu Zifan glanced at it, then turned to the camera and said, "I think I have to work hard to live more comfortably. I'm extremely satisfied with my room."
Pan Yu lowered his head to hide his expression, and after several seconds he looked up and walked over with a smile, "Brother, don't even think about hogging the best room. Good things should be shared with brothers. I'm going to try my best to get in too."
Xu Zifan laughed and said, "Great! Competition is what drives us! Let's cheer each other on!"
Xu Zifan and Pan Yu bumped fists, and when they looked at each other, there was an inexplicable competitive feeling between them. Pan Yu came back to his senses and looked at Xu Zifan with some surprise, but found that he was still smiling and thought he was just overthinking it.
After returning to his room, Xu Zifan took his pulse. He knew his own body well; the original owner had taken too many hormones, causing rapid weight gain and resulting in poor health. He needed to combine this with traditional Chinese medicine to lose weight and couldn't rush it. Since he didn't have any medicine available, he could only take a shower and rest first; otherwise, his heart might not be able to handle the exercise.
Xu Zifan took a nice, relaxing shower and slept soundly on the soft bed. In the next room, Pan Yu tossed and turned for most of the night, constantly wondering what the first episode would be like. But they couldn't use their phones there, so he couldn't come up with any conclusions and ultimately just felt frustrated.
When this episode aired, Xu Zifan was the standout. Several of his deliberate actions were noticed and retained by the editors, and also spotted by the audience, earning him a lot of points. What he didn't expect was that the production team added another segment for him at the end: a showdown between Pan Yu and Wang Zuo, showcasing a fake brotherhood in the comfort room!