AITFYMIBP Chapter 56

TL: Hua

Chapter 56

S

Gu Siye’s pronunciation of the letter ‘S’ was like a whisper right next to his ear.

It was lingering and ambiguous, sending chills down his spine.

The moment the sound reached Lin Yanran’s ears, he distinctly felt his temples twitch several times, and his scalp felt somewhat numb.

The tie on his chest had been neatly retied by Gu Siye, who had also thoughtfully smoothed it out for him.

Lin Yanran looked down at it.

Although they hadn’t had direct skin contact when the tie was being fixed, as there was a layer of shirt between them, he felt a slight burning sensation where the other man’s fingers had passed.

However, the person who had completely rattled Lin Yanran’s mind turned around after tying the knot and stood side-by-side with Lin Yanran, his expression normal, as if nothing had just happened.

Song Yingming, who witnessed the entire scene from the edge of the stage, was shaking with excitement. The megaphone in his hand clattered to the floor.

This scene, this interaction, this absolutely amazing tying of the tie!!

A traffic goldmine, an absolute traffic goldmine!!!

He could already foresee how explosive the topic would be after this episode was edited and broadcast.

Song Yingming’s mind was racing. He couldn’t help but fantasize about the online viewership for the next episode.

Once he broadcasts this, forget about Incredible Journey or Historical National Treasures—they’ll all be ranked behind him!!

This week’s number one online variety show will definitely be his Super Idol!

Meanwhile, Tangtang, after seeing Gu Siye voluntarily help Lin Yanran tie his tie, suppressed the urge to take a photo and ship them, and instead clapped her hands wildly with a smile.

“An S!!! Teacher Gu, you’re the best!!”

The trainees below instantly screamed when they heard the rating.

Xia Xingxing, the Siran CP fan, was the most excited.

SSSSSSS!!!!

Holy cow, an S!!!!

Teacher Gu, you’re flirting with my idol in front of so many people—that is so bold! So clever! So fierce!!

Xia Xingxing, having been fed fan service directly by the source, was going crazy, too excited to describe, and could only transform into a screaming chicken, yelling madly.

He grabbed the sleeve of the person next to him with one hand and covered his own trembling heart with the other, his gaze flickering rapidly between Gu Siye and Lin Yanran’s faces.

Is this the kind of scene a CP fan like him gets to see for free?

What kind of lucky day is it today! Please, let it be like this every day!

Xia Xingxing, the CP dog, saw pink bubbles everywhere.

However, Han Zhe, the utterly straight man, was clearly insensitive to this ‘socialist brotherhood’ and focused entirely on the ‘S’ grade Gu Siye had announced.

“Is there an S card? What does S mean?”

Gu Siye offered a faint smile and gave him a definition.

“The literal meaning.”

Han Zhe: ?

That explained nothing!

Han Zhe’s bewildered expression was so funny that the trainees couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

While Xia Xingxing was holding back his laughter, he inadvertently turned and saw Qiao Ye beside him.

He saw that Qiao Ye, who had been watching Lin Yanran’s performance with a smile just minutes ago, now looked quite unhappy.

Xia Xingxing followed Qiao Ye’s gaze and found that he was staring at Lin Yanran.

His attention seemed to be fixed on the tie that Gu Siye had just finished fixing.

“Brother Ye, what’s wrong?” Xia Xingxing asked Qiao Ye in a low voice.

Qiao Ye withdrew his gaze, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, shook his head, and forced a self-mocking smile. “Nothing.”

The young man lowered his eyes and silently told himself in his heart.

As he was now, he was not yet qualified to stand in front of Teacher Yanran.

But one day in the future, he would definitely become strong enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

*

After the mentor performance segment concluded, they moved on to the other main focus of today’s shoot.

The final collaboration stage between the trainees and the mentors.

Since this stage was purely a performance and would no longer involve a competition, the trainees were much more relaxed about this grouping session.

Seeing Song Yingming delaying the announcement, the trainees even started urging him.

“Director Song! How are you dividing the groups this time? Hurry up and tell us.”

After the grouping sessions in the previous few episodes, everyone had figured out Song Yingming’s pattern.

His pattern was to not follow the normal pattern.

Whenever you thought he was going to do one thing, he would deliberately do the opposite.

So for this last grouping, everyone just resigned themselves, waiting for Song Yingming to announce the rules.

However, this time, instead of Song Yingming, they were led into a room by the staff.

The room wasn’t large, but the table at the front was piled high with gifts.

To prevent spoilers, the production team had wrapped all the gifts in gift boxes.

Ye Xiyuan whistled when he saw them. “Wow, Director, you’ve had a change of heart! You’re giving us gifts before the final performance?”

As soon as Ye Xiyuan spoke, he heard Song Yingming’s voice over the broadcast.

“Ye Xiyuan, watch your words. We have always been a conscientious production team!”

Ye Xiyuan, unfazed by the “warning,” grinned and looked up at the broadcast, “challenging” Song Yingming.

“Is that so? I don’t believe it, unless you immediately tell me what these gifts are for.”

Ye Xiyuan’s words received unanimous approval from the trainees, who clapped their hands in support.

Song Yingming, behind the monitor, took a deep breath: They’ve rebelled! Just as the show is about to end, these trainees are becoming more and more unrestrained!!

While Ye Xiyuan was talking to Song Yingming, Gu Siye walked into the room.

He glanced at the gift boxes and directly told the trainees the truth, “These are gifts prepared for you by the four mentors.”

“Please have the staff reveal the mentors’ gifts one by one.”

The scene with the trainees was simultaneously relayed to the mentors backstage.

Seeing the 28 gifts mixed up and placed together, Lin Yanran had a faint guess as to what Song Yingming was planning.

A few days ago, he had received a notice from the production team asking him to prepare seven gifts to give to the trainees he would be teamed up with.

So he had specifically gone out and selected items that the trainees could use in their daily lives.

At first, he thought the gifts would be given after the teams were successfully formed, but he didn’t expect them to be used for the grouping process.

Sure enough, as the gifts were revealed, Gu Siye also explained the rules to everyone.

“These gifts are from different mentors. Next, please select the gift you like best.”

When the trainees heard that they had to choose their mentor in this manner, they started to groan and wail.

This was even more difficult than the previous mutual selection.

With so many gifts, who knew which one their favorite mentor had prepared!

It was practically testing whether they were the little worms in their mentors’ stomachs!

The staff quickly unwrapped the gifts, and soon all 28 gifts were displayed before the trainees’ eyes.

The four rows of shelves were filled with a dazzling array of items.

There were game consoles, dolls, chibi figures, basketballs, car models, crystal balls, CDs, building blocks, pens, notebooks, snacks, and more…

The gifts were varied, numerous, and completely different in style, leaving everyone bewildered.

After viewing the gifts, it was time for the trainees to make their selection.

The order of selection was based on the ranking from the last public performance, in groups of seven, making four total groups.

Qiao Ye ranked first in the last performance, so he was the first person called from the first group.

Soon, the top seven ranked trainees stood at the front.

Under the expectant and curious gaze of the other 21 people, the trainees choosing gifts walked back and forth around the gift shelves, seriously contemplating what gift the mentor they wanted to collaborate with would send.

Among the seven people, only Qiao Ye didn’t hesitate, directly selecting the Vitamin C tablets closest to him.

The trainees below saw this and curiously asked him, “Brother Ye, that was fast. Was it a blind pick, or are you confident?”

Qiao Ye looked at the vitamin C tablets in his hand, not answering the question directly, only saying, “This can help wounds heal faster. I need this more.”

Qiao Ye didn’t say the rest of what he meant.

The reason he chose it was that he was very certain that the mentor who would be so thoughtful as to prepare this gift must be him.

Xia Xingxing was ranked 15th, just barely making it into the third round of selection.

He couldn’t sit still in his seat, anxiously watching the trainees in the first two rounds, his heart filled with urgency.

He meticulously watched every person who went up to take a gift.

When he saw Qiao Ye take the vitamin C tablets, his heart sank.

When he saw Ye Xiyuan take his beloved thermos, his heart sank even further…

Immediately after, the shoulder and neck massager and the heated eye mask he had already set his sights on were also taken!

Xia Xingxing was on the verge of a breakdown.

He frantically screamed in his mind: Don’t pick it, don’t pick it, leave some for me!!!

Xia Xingxing was not the only trainee who had gotten to know Lin Yanran better through their contact over the past few months.

Therefore, those who were determined to team up with him for the final collaboration stage would certainly not choose flashy items, but rather practical things they could use during their daily practice.

Seeing the gifts he was sure of getting become fewer and fewer, when it was Xia Xingxing’s turn in the third round, he darted straight to the throat lozenges and hugged them tightly! As if he had snatched some incredible treasure.

The scene was quite comical.

Soon, after all the trainees had chosen their gifts, it was time to reveal the truth.

Before the big reveal, the production team, in a deliberate attempt to create drama, made the trainees hold their gifts and stand according to their intuition in the spots labeled with the four mentors’ names.

After forming their spontaneous groups, Lin Yanran’s group had the most people, with ten.

Pei Luo’s group had the fewest, with only five.

Afterward, the four mentors all entered the room.

As soon as Lin Yanran stood still, the ten trainees who had chosen him anxiously crowded around him, holding up their gifts and asking him.

“Teacher Yanran, did I choose correctly!”

Song Yingming, who was monitoring the situation, immediately spoke up to remind them, “Mentors, please do not reveal the answer prematurely!”

Hearing Song Yingming’s voice, the trainees immediately responded cleverly.

“Just give us a look, Teacher, that’s fine too!”

Song Yingming: ?????

The answer was revealed starting with Pei Luo’s group.

Pei Luo stood in front of the trainees in his group, and Gu Siye asked him, “Teacher Pei, how many people in your group successfully teamed up with you?”

Pei Luo: “2 people.”

Hearing this news, the expressions of the people in Pei Luo’s group instantly changed.

Not only that, but the trainees in the other three groups also became nervous.

Since Pei Luo’s group had such a low match rate, it meant that quite a few people in their groups must have also picked the wrong gift…

Sure enough, after Tangtang’s group and Han Zhe’s group revealed their answers, only two or three people in each group had successfully teamed up.

Finally, it was Lin Yanran’s group’s turn.

Gu Siye looked at the ten people, his gaze sweeping over them. “Do you think you can successfully team up with Teacher Yanran?”

Before Xia Xingxing, Lin Yanran’s die-hard fan, could speak, Qiao Ye looked firmly at Lin Yanran first.

“Definitely.”

Gu Siye glanced at the gift in his hand.

He harbored different intentions toward Lin Yanran, so he could also tell that the look in Qiao Ye’s eyes when he looked at Lin Yanran was different.

Seeing that Qiao Ye was again determined to be in Lin Yanran’s group, Gu Siye slightly raised an eyebrow and looked at the other man.

Qiao Ye seemed to notice Gu Siye’s scrutiny and also looked up, meeting his gaze without backing down at all.

This was the first direct confrontation between the two men.

But Qiao Ye quickly looked away.

Because Lin Yanran was about to announce the answer.

In fact, Qiao Ye’s intuition was very accurate, and he understood Lin Yanran’s mind well enough.

Lin Yanran’s reason for choosing the vitamin C tablets was indeed the same as Qiao Ye had stated.

Trainees are prone to injury, and this could help them heal faster.

Besides the Vitamin C, he had also prepared items for the trainees such as a thermos, throat lozenges, a heated eye mask, a shoulder and neck massager, and so on…

After glancing at the gifts chosen by the trainees, Lin Yanran replied, “6.”

Then, he announced the six gifts.

The trainees who were not chosen lamented sadly where they stood.

“Teacher Yanran, what was the last one?”

Lin Yanran’s group was the last one, so after he announced his gifts, the remaining mystery could be unveiled immediately.

So he looked at Yi Wenhai, who hadn’t been successfully paired from Tangtang’s group, and said, “Lip balm.”

Gao Yu, who had chosen the painting and thus wasn’t chosen by Lin Yanran, was almost infuriated.

“I wanted to pick that before… oh, well…”

Who would have thought it would actually be lip balm!

Lin Yanran explained to him, “I see that many of your lips get dry; you can put some on.”

Yi Wenhai, who did choose the lip balm, had done so precisely because his mouth tends to get dry when he’s nervous.

He quickly opened the lip balm, applied it to his lips, and found that the flavor was very refreshing and his mouth felt much more comfortable.

After all the trainees stood together, they could easily see that the gifts Lin Yanran had prepared were genuinely practical and carefully chosen to be suitable for everyone.

Over so many recording sessions, they already knew how thoughtful and considerate Lin Yanran was towards the trainees, especially after he had previously gifted them foot soaking tubs and various health and wellness kits.

But feeling it firsthand once again still deeply moved them.

After each mentor announced their gifts, today’s recording officially concluded.

For this mentor collaboration stage, the production team would no longer assign any themes or songs.

Instead, the mentors were given a period of time to select the performance track based on their own style and preferences.

Lin Yanran gathered the trainees who would be collaborating with him to solicit their opinions and ideas for the stage.

However, this group completely trusted Lin Yanran, telling him directly that he should just decide, and they would be fine with anything.

After the recording was over, Lin Yanran encountered Gu Siye, who had been waiting for him.

Lin Yanran was somewhat surprised that Gu Siye was still there.

Gu Siye didn’t hide his intention and spoke directly, “Waiting for you.”

Lin Yanran was a little surprised but then felt that it wasn’t so unexpected that the other party would wait for him.

The two walked side by side toward the underground parking garage.

Gu Siye helped him press the elevator button and said as the doors closed, “Teacher Yanran, I heard that you write calligraphy very well.”

Lin Yanran smiled and shook his head. “Just for fun, it’s not that good.”

Then, Lin Yanran realized that Gu Siye wouldn’t bring this up for no reason, so he imitated the way the other man called him Teacher Yanran and asked, “Teacher Gu, do you have something you want to say?”

Gu Siye was straightforward, saying, “I want to ask you to write a piece of calligraphy for me.”

This wasn’t difficult for Lin Yanran, so he nodded. “Are there any requirements for the content?”

Gu Siye looked up, his peach blossom eyes curving as he said, half-seriously and half-jokingly, “’The mountains have trees, the trees have branches, my heart rejoices in you, yet you do not know.’ How about this line?”

*

The day after the program recording, the production team of Incredible Journey, which had successfully tricked Lin Yanran, happily posted his photo on their official Weibo account and began heavily promoting the recording of the third episode, announcing Lin Yanran’s return.

Song Yingming woke up early and checked Weibo. Seeing Zhang Shanfeng’s enthusiastic efforts, he wasn’t going to be outdone and immediately had the post-production team edit a trailer, specifically featuring a three-second clip of Lin Yanran dancing the theme song to attract viewers.

Fans and viewers were overjoyed when they opened Weibo and video websites to see the good news and the bonus clip.

Song Yingming, Zhang Shanfeng, hurry up and start fighting! The fiercer the fight, the better!