After everyone had entered, the five mentors walked into the hall. Standing in the center was Bai Yuchen, one of the three most popular idols in the entertainment industry. He had debuted abroad as a member of a boy band, serving as both lead dancer and lead vocalist. He had fans all over the world and was considered a top-tier celebrity. Having returned to China this past year, he had focused on developing his career in film, television, and music. He was the most suitable person to be the initiator of the boy band and a key figure in supporting the show. As soon as he appeared, everyone screamed and gasped, their faces filled with disbelief and excitement. Only Xu Zifan remained calm and smiling, slowly rising to applaud and welcome him.
Bai Yuchen stood facing Xu Zifan, and subconsciously smiled, finding him particularly interesting. He then announced loudly, "Hello everyone, I am Bai Yuchen, the initiator of this idol boy group competition. It's a pleasure to meet you all. I hope that in every competition to come, everyone will give their all and strive to become a member of the 'Beidou Boy Group'!"
"Hello, initiator!" The contestants all wanted to say a few words but were afraid of saying the wrong thing, so they could only clap their hands to show their importance and carefully maintain their excited expressions, while Xu Zifan remained calm and smiled.
Bai Yuchen introduced the four mentors beside him: "The lady next to me, Bai Xingchen, is my twin sister. She has won the highest awards in both singing and acting. She is extremely talented and will be in charge of everyone's vocal training and how to become an outstanding artist."
Bai Yuchen was very handsome, but his sister Bai Xingchen's features were even more delicate, perfectly embodying the "vixen" look people often associate with beauty. At this moment, her long, black hair cascaded down to her chest, and despite wearing a white dress and innocent makeup, she still exuded a stunning beauty. Moreover, at 27, she looked no different from the young women in their early twenties beside her. More than half of the contestants in the audience dared not look directly into her eyes, feeling as if they were being electrocuted.
Bai Xingchen greeted everyone with a smile, her voice very pleasant, "Hello everyone, I'm Bai Xingchen. This is my first time being a mentor, and it's such an important competition for the top boy group in China, so I might be particularly strict. So I hope everyone is mentally prepared and please don't slack off when it comes to vocals."
Everyone applauded again. Xu Zifan felt like he was in an idol world; everyone was so good-looking. The average appearance of this world was so high! But in his memory, the original owner wasn't bad either—well, it's just that now her face was chubby and looked like a steamed bun. Why did her face gain weight first? She probably gained several pounds in her face.
Xu Zifan's attention wandered for a moment, but was brought back when Bai Yuchen introduced the other people. The singer responsible for the songwriting was a 38-year-old talented male singer named Zhou Peng. Many of his songs were very popular, he had a lot of influence in songwriting, and he was also very good at rap. Even in an era dominated by young idols, his songs still consistently ranked in the top five of various charts, demonstrating his considerable talent.
Xu Zifan paid special attention to Zhou Peng because the original owner of this body was very talented in songwriting, and he didn't intend to waste that talent. If he could get more guidance from Zhou Peng, he would definitely benefit greatly. He also needed to learn seriously from Bai Xingchen; in terms of singing, he had only ever sung in karaoke bars before.
There are also two dance mentors, a man and a woman, both of whom debuted in overseas groups and then returned. They are rising idols skilled in singing and dancing, with decent representative works and a considerable fan base. They are both 20 years old and their names are Yu Hai and Cheng Man. Xu Zifan felt that dancing also needed to be learned seriously, as this was a field he had never explored before. It seems that he can't afford to slack off at all in this world. These mentors are all currently popular celebrities. The production team has invested heavily, but only with such a lineup can they truly create the number one idol boy group, not just for hype, but to genuinely set a good example for future boy groups.
After introducing the mentors, Bai Yuchen sat down in the front row of mentor chairs, placing his tablet and documents on the table. He turned to everyone, "Let's skip the formalities and begin. Everyone has already rated themselves, so our first segment is for you to come to the front and perform, showcasing your talents. We'll re-evaluate your performances to see if they match your expectations." He looked at each contestant and asked with a smile, "So, who will perform first? Does anyone have a nominee or someone they'd like to see perform?"
He and Bai Xingchen both glanced at Xu Zifan. If anyone was most eagerly anticipating someone's performance, it would undoubtedly be Xu Zifan on the throne. Whether he actually had the ability was the biggest question on everyone's mind. The contestants were all nervous, looking around nervously; no one wanted to be the first to go up. When the other trainees from the same company looked over, Pan Yu glanced in Xu Zifan's direction. They naturally looked over too, their eyes instantly lighting up. They jokingly said, "The Throne! We want to see the contestant on the Throne perform first!"
"Yes, yes, we want to see a great performance from the throne contenders!" The others immediately chimed in, some genuinely curious, some just wanting to see the spectacle, and a small minority with malicious intent. After all, if the first one messes up, the pressure on the others won't be as great.
Pan Yu thought the same way. He clearly remembered Xu Zifan's palms sweating with nervousness when he signed up. Now, having Xu Zifan perform first would definitely put a lot of pressure on him, and he might even underperform and embarrass himself in front of everyone, which would be quite interesting. In his past life, he happily ran to Xu Zifan to reunite with him, but Xu Zifan disliked him and distanced himself, causing him to be doxxed and ridiculed by Xu Zifan's fans. In this life, he would make Xu Zifan taste what it felt like to be ridiculed and dissed.
Bai Yuchen picked up the microphone and said with a smile, "Okay! Since everyone wants to see the performance of the King of Kings contestants, then... Xu Zifan, is that alright?"
"Of course, why not!" Xu Zifan smiled, stood up, and calmly walked down the steps. All the contestants were watching him.
Those standing close by could clearly see how relaxed he was, and couldn't help but wonder how he managed it. Someone like that either knows they won't be chosen and doesn't care, or they know they're exceptionally talented and are confident. They couldn't see that Xu Zifan was that kind of person, and a strange sense of mystery arose within them.
When the original owner arrived, he was wearing a white long-sleeved t-shirt, gray casual pants, and white sneakers. Because he was overweight, he felt comfortable wearing this and it didn't constrict his stomach. Also, since he didn't really have any suitable clothes for performances, he didn't think much of it when he came. But it really was too ordinary. When Xu Zifan walked to the fourth row, he stopped and said to Pan Yu, "Pan Zi, could I borrow your hat for a moment? I'll return it to you after the performance."
Pan Yu was suddenly called out and called "Pan Zi" again. He was angry inside, but he subconsciously smiled and naturally took off his hat and handed it to him. He said helplessly, "Zi Fan, don't give me nicknames, or I'll get angry."
Xu Zifan put on his hat, clasped his hands together, and sincerely apologized: "I'm sorry, Pan Yu, I just felt it was more intimate that way. I won't call you that anymore. I'm going to perform now."
"Go for it!" Pan Yu could only make a cheering gesture.
In this way, he and four other people from the company followed suit with the gestures, and the other contestants had no choice but to follow suit as well.
"come on!"
"Go Xu Zifan!"
"Go, Throne!"
Xu Zifan walked off the stage with a smile, bowed first, and said with a smile, "Hello, mentors. I'm sorry for the delay. I've been on a tight budget lately and don't have any suitable clothes. I apologize for my simple outfit today, but I absolutely respect this stage and cherish this opportunity. Fortunately, my good brother Pan Yu lent me a hat, so I should look much better now. I hope I won't disappoint you mentors."
Bai Xingchen was in charge of the artist's image. She looked Xu Zifan up and down a few times and said with a smile, "This hat suits you very well. It gives you a street performer vibe and an artistic feel. It's great. You could say it's the finishing touch."
Bai Yuchen said, "I also think it's fine. Now you can start your performance. I'm looking forward to it."
Xu Zifan bowed slightly, "Thank you, Instructor Bai and Initiator Bai!"
The audience couldn't help but burst into laughter. What's with "Mentor Bai" and "Initiator Bai"? Although that's not wrong, it's really strange! But Xu Zifan's expression remained calm, without any restraint or anything. Looking at the mentors, he said, "I forgot to introduce myself just now. Hello, mentors. My name is Xu Zifan. I just became an individual trainee. I have performed many times at school galas before. Today, my performance is singing."
Xu Zifan took two steps back, the music started, and he instantly entered performance mode. He sang a very sweet and flirtatious love song, a song that was truly saccharine and incredibly alluring. Xu Zifan would occasionally curl one corner of his mouth into a wicked smile, sometimes raise an eyebrow and tilt his head, sometimes turn around and give a quick wink, and occasionally take off his top hat and flirt with it on his fingertips!
All these movements, performed by him, didn't seem out of place at all; on the contrary, they drew everyone's attention, and no one was distracted. Xu Zifan moved his feet simply as he performed the movements; they weren't deliberately rehearsed dance steps, but they blended naturally into his performance, perfectly matching the rhythm of every movement and every lyric.
"Loving you a little more each day, a year a lifetime, until our hair turns white before we know it, my whole heart will be yours..."
As Xu Zifan sang the last line, he tilted his head slightly, made a heart shape with his fingers, and slowly pushed it out from his heart. A deep, faint smile appeared on his face, as if he had truly promised a love that would last a lifetime!
Dozens of contestants instinctively clapped and exclaimed "Wow!" They genuinely hadn't expected Xu Zifan to be so charismatic while singing. The fact that a chubby guy could pull off such a captivating performance and hold their attention so firmly, without uttering a single comment, was already a success—completely beyond their expectations! However, after the initial amazement, they became tense. The first performer's excellent performance put immense pressure on them; they shouldn't have let Xu Zifan go first!
The mentors all smiled and applauded. Bai Xingchen laughed and said, "It's unbelievable, I was just electrified! Xu Zifan, your eyes were amazing! From the beginning to the end of your song, your eyes and expressions were a layered and exquisite performance, with the affection increasing progressively. I think if you don't sing in the future, you could go into acting, really! From a professional point of view, your singing is still a little lacking, but through your eyes, expressions, and movements, you made this song so captivating that it made people blush and their hearts race. It was definitely a very well-rounded performance, absolutely fantastic!"