After arranging the dormitory, the recording of the program started the next day. This recording session was quite long, as over a hundred contestants needed to complete their first performance, with five mentors to judge them.
Before entering the recording hall, they first had to go to the makeup room.
Wen Ke’an was called up for makeup at six o’clock. Because there were so many contestants, one makeup artist was responsible for several contestants, so some people were still waiting in line.
“Can I do it myself?” The makeup artist was too slow, and Wen Ke’an wanted to finish her makeup quickly so she could go back and catch some sleep.
“You can, but stage makeup is different from daily makeup. Are you sure you want to do it yourself?”
Stage makeup needs to be heavier than everyday makeup to look good on stage, but Wen Ke’an didn’t care much about looking good right then.
“Yes, I can do it myself.”
The makeup products on the desk were for general use. Wen Ke’an chose a darker foundation, applied it quickly, and then casually did her eyeshadow and lipstick.
In less than ten minutes, Wen Ke’an had finished her entire makeup.
“I’m done,” Wen Ke’an said softly.
Not far away, the makeup artist and Chu Han, who was getting her makeup done, looked over simultaneously and were both stunned.
That was the first time the makeup artist had seen someone make themselves look worse with makeup.
Actually, Wen Ke’an didn’t look too bad now; she was still better looking than average people, just not as stunning as she was naturally.
“Your foundation is too dark; it doesn’t look good. You should take it off, and I’ll redo it for you later.”
“No need,” Wen Ke’an said. “I like dark skin.”
“…”
Wen Ke’an’s attitude was firm, and the makeup artist didn’t insist, respecting the contestant’s opinion.
After finishing her makeup, Wen Ke’an returned to the dormitory to rest for a while. By about nine o’clock, almost all the contestants had finished their makeup and were to gather in the program hall.
Wen Ke’an entered with Chu Han and was surprised to see a familiar face.
Xia Xiangwan also participated in this talent show. She was wearing a red dress with rhinestones and sitting in the highest position, looking like a princess.
Since neither Wen Ke’an nor Chu Han knew many people there, they quietly sat in a small corner.
“Xia Xiangwan actually came,” Chu Han whispered after they sat down. “She wasn’t on the initial list.”
“Probably the company sent her,” Wen Ke’an replied.
In the previous life, Xia Xiangwan had already debuted by this time, but perhaps her career wasn’t going smoothly now, so she hadn’t debuted yet, likely waiting for this show.
As the program began, Wen Ke’an wanted to perform early, so she asked Jin Ming to arrange an earlier spot for her.
Wen Ke’an was the fifth to perform. She calmly finished singing a song.
Although she wasn’t a great singer, she chose a song she was more comfortable with this time.
After all, if the singing is too bad, it’s easy to be remembered by people, and Wen Ke’an doesn’t want to be remembered by any audience right now.
After performing decently, Wen Ke’an went to the E class she aimed for. Chu Han did a bit better and got into the D class.
The show is currently being broadcast live with several live rooms arranged by the production team. Wen Ke’an noticed that most of the cameras were focused on the popular contestants, perfectly avoiding her and Chu Han’s location.
Anyway, the two of them were just here to have fun, and the production team probably couldn’t remember over a hundred participants.
Feeling a bit tired from sitting in the hall, Wen Ke’an and Chu Han sneaked out to play.
Probably because of their mediocre performance and lack of highlights, the production team didn’t bother with them.
“I’m so tired,” Chu Han sighed.
She was originally just curious about this variety show, thinking it would be fun, but she didn’t expect it to be so tiring.
Chu Han didn’t have any ambition to debut in the entertainment industry. Like Wen Ke’an, she planned to leave after one round.
“Do you remember how much it would cost us to terminate the contract?” Wen Ke’an suddenly asked.
Chu Han thought for a moment and said, “I think it’s about two million.”
Two million wasn’t a lot for them, but thinking about how that amount could buy a house for Gu Ting, Wen Ke’an felt a sting in her heart.
“Do you want to terminate the contract?” Chu Han asked.
After all, if Wen Ke’an left, Chu Han would definitely leave too.
Wen Ke’an thought about the two million and the house, and suddenly looked up, “I think I can hold on a bit longer.”
“……….”
After the initial rating, they had to start practicing the theme song and dance of the show. With only three days to learn, Wen Ke’an and Chu Han completely gave up, playing Go in the dormitory while others practiced.
During the first exam, they succeeded in getting the last places.
“You got sixth to last, and I got seventh to last!” Chu Han was inexplicably happy.
“So happy?” Wen Ke’an laughed.
“Since junior high, I’ve never ranked at the bottom, it feels a bit novel,” Chu Han whispered.
The performance song for the first public show was announced, and they were ineligible to choose programs due to their low ranks.
Wen Ke’an went to the vocal group, and Chu Han to the dance group.
The vocal group was relatively easier, and to avoid dragging the team down, Wen Ke’an practiced seriously during group sessions.
To increase their funding, the program opened several live rooms to broadcast the trainees’ training daily.
[Barrage]: The girls are working so hard, they seem to be practicing all the time.
[Barrage]: But it’s getting a bit boring watching the same thing, can we get a change of scenery?
[Barrage]: I agree, tired of it! Show us somewhere else!!
Seeing the audience’s requests, the production team switched the camera to the canteen of the training building.
It wasn’t meal time at the moment. Most of the trainees were practicing in the training room, so the cafeteria was quite empty.
However, the camera coincidentally captured Wen Ke’an and Chu Han sitting leisurely by the window, sipping milk tea.
Each of them had a cup of milk tea and was gazing pensively toward the outside.
“I regret it too. I didn’t expect the time to be this long,” Chu Han said.
Seeing Wen Ke’an spacing out, Chu Han softly asked, “Are you missing your boyfriend?”
“Mm,” Wen Ke’an nodded.
So far, it had been almost two weeks since they were separated. That was when Wen Ke’an realized this was the longest period they had been apart since their reunion after his rebirth.
Chu Han sighed with a sense of longing, “I kinda miss him too.”
Previously, she used to complain about Xie Huaiyan being too controlling. This extended separation made her realize she had gotten used to having him around. In fact, she even dreamt about him these days.
The two girls exchanged a glance and sighed softly in unison.
Little did Wen Ke’an and Chu Han know that they were being shown in a reality show’s live broadcast.
The viewers, excited to see something new, began to flood into the live stream.
[Barrage] “Everyone else is training, but these two are just here sipping milk tea, LOL!”
[Barrage] “Missing her boyfriend, poor girl, LOL!”
[Barrage] “Wow, how did I not notice this beautiful girl during the initial rating?”
[Barrage] “Does anyone else think the girl on the right looks familiar?”
After spending some time in the cafeteria and not wanting to hold the team back, they decided to head back to training.
“An’an, can you teach me the dance later?” Chu Han asked.
Chu Han had some dance basics, but the choreography she needed to perform this time was quite challenging.
“Sure.”
Since all the training rooms were occupied, Wen Ke’an found one with fewer people and began teaching Chu Han the dance moves.
“Oh my god, am I seeing things correctly?”
“No, you aren’t mistaken. Wen Ke’an is actually teaching someone to dance.”
During their training breaks, a few other trainees in the room couldn’t help but quietly gasp in astonishment.
“Your move is wrong,” Wen Ke’an suddenly pointed out.
“Huh?”
“Do it like this.” Wen Ke’an demonstrated briefly and directly.
“Okay, I’ll try again.”
The two people practicing dance in the corner were completely unaware of the shocked faces of the other trainees watching them from a short distance.
“Whoa, did you see that?”
“She dances so well!”
Wen Ke’an had just demonstrated a few simple moves. Anyone with dance experience could tell her movements were very precise, suggesting she had a solid dance background.
“Why didn’t she dance before?”
“Is she trying to play dumb to fool us?”
After her training, Wen Ke’an returned to her dorm to rest, completely unaware that the internet was already buzzing, trying to uncover her hidden talents.
“Three years ago, Wen Ke’an participated in a dance competition! With the Qinghua Club!”
“Here’s the video!”
Footage from a previous show Wen Ke’an was on was ruthlessly shared online.
Comments:
“Ahhh, it’s her!! She’s such an ethereal dancer!!”
“How could she dance so well and not perform?!!”
“I recognize her!! Xia Xiangwan participated in that show too!!”
“She looked so young back then, so cute!!!”
Just when the online community was already excited about discovering this hidden talent, someone uncovered another of Wen Ke’an’s identities.
Comments:
“Do you know Lemon, a dance blogger?”
“Isn’t that the blogger who never dared to show her face because she’s supposedly not good-looking?”
“Lemon hasn’t updated in a while, not since just before this show started!”
“I have a bold theory…”
The song Wen Ke’an chose wasn’t particularly difficult, and it was largely overlooked because it was too common. She completed her performance quietly.
Three days later, the results of the first elimination round were finally announced.
Wen Ke’an and Chu Han had already packed their belongings in the dorms, expecting to be eliminated.
When Wen Ke’an heard that her vote count was in eleventh place, she was completely stunned.
Just as stunned as her was Chu Han, who came in twelfth.
The two looked at each other, seeing the confusion in each other’s eyes.
[Comment]: “Hahaha, the girls’ shocked expressions are hilarious!!”
[Comment]: “You can’t leave, you won’t see your boyfriends, haha!”
[Comment]: “Wanna leave? The pretty girls have to stay!!”
“Why did I advance?” Chu Han asked in a daze.
Wen Ke’an: “I don’t know either.”
Although she advanced, Wen Ke’an was a bit unhappy.
After the recording ended, Wen Ke’an went to the cafeteria to have dinner with her new teammates.
While she was carefully choosing her dishes, she accidentally bumped into a staff member.
“Sorry.” Wen Ke’an was briefly stunned, but immediately apologized.
“It’s okay.”
Hearing this voice, Wen Ke’an’s eyes widened slightly. She looked up at the staff member beside her.
“What’s wrong, An’an?” Her teammate noticed something unusual. She glanced at the staff member in black clothes, then back at Wen Ke’an.
The staff member was wearing a black mask, but it was clear he was a very handsome guy.
Her teammate didn’t get a reply from Wen Ke’an, because the next second, Wen Ke’an put down her tray and hugged the guy.
The suddenly witnessing teammate: “???”
“An’an, what are you—”
Wen Ke’an came to her senses. She looked back at her teammate and explained with a happy whisper, “He’s my boyfriend.”
“Ah, well, you two talk. I’ll go first!”
Wen Ke’an pulled Gu Ting to a secure spot out of the camera’s view, and happily whispered, “Why are you here?”
Gu Ting pointed to his work badge behind him and smiled, “Because I’m a staff member here.”
“Liar.” Wen Ke’an didn’t believe him at all.
Gu Ting lowered his gaze and looked at her, slowly saying, “Because I saw a girl on the show, with teary eyes, looking pitiful.”
Wen Ke’an paused for a moment, then softly defended herself in a muffled voice, “It wasn’t that exaggerated.”
For some reason, the moment she saw him, her eyes got a little misty.
Maybe it’s because she has been dreaming of him lately, and suddenly seeing him made her feel uncontrollably excited.
“That girl said she missed her boyfriend.”
Gu Ting gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with his hand and comforted her tenderly, “So I came.”
