"I don't know her," Chong Yan shook his head.
"Then how did you...?"
"The line was too long, so I wanted to wait nearby. Then she saw I was hungry and gave me her food. Teacher Yao is really a good person."
Everyone was dumbfounded.
*She saw he was hungry?*
This was obviously a fabrication.
Someone who didn't have a good relationship with him immediately sneered, "With so many people, none of the mentors looked at you, but she did?"
"Yes!" Chong Yan shamelessly replied, "It's because I'm good-looking!"
The person was choked, and shut up, realizing they had gained nothing.
Someone sighed, "But Teacher Yao is so beautiful. I'm her fan too. Her acting is superb, A Qing, my eternal goddess! She's truly stunning."
Someone asked mysteriously, "Do you guys know how old Teacher Yao is?"
The last person to enter asked somewhat lewdly, "What do you mean 'how old'?"
"Nonsense, I mean her age, of course. She's only 21 or 22 this year, maybe even younger than me. Sigh, people younger than me are already mentors, and I'm still a seed contestant."
Someone playfully added, "And a seed that might not sprout."
"Get lost."
A group of people laughed and bantered, and for the moment, no one pressed Chong Yan further.
As it neared the evening rest time, everyone was washing up and getting into bed. Chong Yan was about to brush his teeth when his phone suddenly rang.
The program didn't confiscate phones, but they cut off power and internet at a certain time, mainly to prevent phone addicts from staying up late and affecting their condition. If they accidentally died from exhaustion, the show would be ruined.
Chong Yan put on his headphones to answer the call. As soon as he picked up, a furious female voice erupted.
"Chong Yan, what did you do today!"
"What did I do? What did I do?"
"You were there to be a shill! Who told you to steal the spotlight? What, do you want to piggyback on Yao Ran's fame and go solo? Don't forget you still owe the company millions. Do you think she can help you pay off your debt?"
"Is it any of your business? I never said I wouldn't pay. If I could really get close to her, wouldn't you be even happier? Maybe she could help me pay off the debt, why are you so angry?" he retorted mockingly.
A young male voice, even angrier, chimed in, "Dream on! If she knew your father was a murderer and your mother a gambler, she wouldn't even glance at you. You'd better behave yourself, or I have plenty of ways to ruin your reputation."
Chong Yan was silent for a moment.
"Don't forget your mission. You're there to be a foil for Hao Zhuo. Stop trying to steal the spotlight. If you steal the spotlight and then have to live in constant fear, you won't like that either, will you?"
Chong Yan irritably replied, "I know," and hung up the phone.
All the happiness, shyness, and budding affection he felt today turned into immense bitterness after receiving this call.
What was so good about being famous?
As he said, fame meant living in constant fear. It was better to be unknown.
***
The next day, when filming began, Zhu Ran kept looking for him.
After one young man finished his performance, the applause from the audience was thunderous. His performance was more impressive than several contestants before him. With contrast and embellishment, Chong Yan, who appeared after him, only garnered gasps from the audience upon his entrance. His subsequent performance was not outstanding.
Zhu Ran didn't know how others would score, but in her heart, Chong Yan would always get full marks.
A well-known vocal coach sitting beside her leaned over and whispered, "His performance was average, but he's probably very good-looking. I'll give him a low score."
Zhu Ran smiled and didn't respond.
The filming ended on the second day, marking the end of the third round of selection.
Out of 140 people, 70 were kept. Chong Yan, with one score of ten and one of nine, was not far behind, ranking in the thirties.
Zhu Ran went to the cafeteria for dinner as usual. When she saw Chong Yan, he seemed reluctant to acknowledge her.
She waved at him.
Chong Yan hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat opposite her.
"Did you pass?"
Chong Yan nodded.
"That's great news, why aren't you happy?"
Because there was nothing to be happy about.
He didn't need fame; he was only there to be a foil for others and would eventually be eliminated. Giving him hope now would only make it harder for him later.
"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired."
"Oh," Zhu Ran said thoughtfully, "You've been busy preparing for your performances these past few days, so you must be tired. It's the weekend tomorrow, let's take a break. How about I treat you to an outing?"
Chong Yan was clearly surprised.
He hesitated, "Perhaps not. You're a mentor. If reporters find out, it won't be good for your reputation."
"I don't care about my reputation," Zhu Ran said with a bright smile. "Or do you?"
Chong Yan had plenty of negative news about him anyway, so he didn't really care.
Although those people had been threatening him, their goals hadn't been achieved yet, so they wouldn't do anything to him for now.
Why not go out and have some fun?
Just once.
He might be eliminated next time, and then they might never see each other again.
The thought alone made him feel regretful and sad.
"Alright then, where should we go?"
"Wansheng Group recently opened a new amusement park in the suburbs. The facilities are quite complete. The Ferris wheel on the mountainside offers a particularly beautiful view of the sunset. I heard they also have hot springs. What do you think?"
Zhu Ran knew his personality well. The location for this "date" was clearly chosen with care.
Chong Yan was indeed moved.
He came from a poor family and had never been to an amusement park as a child. Hearing her say that now, he couldn't help but be swayed.
"That sounds great."
"Then it's settled." Zhu Ran smiled. "You should go back and rest early after dinner. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning."
Chong Yan nodded vigorously. "Okay."
His advancement this time was within the tolerance, or rather, the plan of those people, so no one bothered him today.
Thinking about going to the amusement park with Zhu Ran tomorrow, Chong Yan was too excited to sleep.
But then he worried that if he didn't sleep well, he might look tired tomorrow, so he put on some lullabies, calmed himself down, and lay there. After an unknown amount of time, he finally drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, he got up early. He did his skincare and changed his clothes, surprising the others.
"Chong Yan, are you going home too?"
"No."
"Then with your getup, are you going on a date?"
Chong Yan's face flushed, and he pretended to be nonchalant. "No, just going out to play."
"With whom? Teacher Yao? You guys are developing too fast!"
*Too fast?*
Chong Yan thought about it. They had only known each other for two or three days. It really was quite fast.
"Don't talk nonsense, we're just ordinary friends."
"Ordinary friends can still develop, can't they? Maybe after today, you won't be just ordinary friends anymore?"
Chong Yan: "..."
"By the way, didn't you two know each other before? I don't think Teacher Yao is that kind of casual person."
"We didn't," Chong Yan said confidently, thinking, *I must be special!*