Chapter 37
The person who drew number 1 was Huo Xi from Tianxing Entertainment, a typical introvert much like Gu Ningyan. He was usually quiet and reserved, not much of a talker. His refined face was filled with surprise, having not expected to go in the first round.
"Huo Xi, it's your turn to spin."
"Oh, okay." Huo Xi seemed slow to recover from his surprise, lightly spinning the pointer. After a few seconds, it pointed toward Hu Yue, who was casually lying on the table.
"My turn that quick? I must be lucky," Hu Yue said, lazily sitting up.
However, whether it was Truth or Dare, it was not the trainee who could decide. Staff members quickly approached with two cards in hand, clearly for Hu Yue to pick.
Hu Yue chose the card on the left and upon opening it, found the word "Truth" written on it.
"Not Dare," said Qiao Lin, somewhat disappointed. He quickly prodded Huo Xi, "Ask something fast, choose a spicy topic."
Poor Huo Xi was now in a bind. He talked the least normally, and was unfamiliar with most people. At this moment, he was clueless what to ask.
Moreover, they were on a show, where they had to be cautious all the time. If something provocative slipped, it could negatively impact the audiences' impression.
"Don't worry, you can ask anything." Hu Yue, the free-spirited, offered.
After a long pause, Huo Xi stuttered out his question: "Who is your favorite trainee in the big company?"
"Ah, why this question? It isn't challenging at all." As soon as the question was asked, a few who wanted to stir the pot sighed. They already knew the answer without guessing—it would undoubtedly be one of his team members, either Gao Jingxing or Qi Haoran.
However, Hu Yue answered without any hesitation, "Of course, it's the Little Prince."
"Ah?" Those who didn't know who the Little Prince was had bewildered looks on their faces.
Hu Yue was sitting right next to Ling Rong. He naturally put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her toward him, "Doesn't Ling Rong look like a little prince?"
Instantly, those who thought the answer would be Gao Jingxing no longer found the question boring. They all started laughing and calling Ling Rong by her new nickname. Some even teased Gao Jingxing, "Big brother got dumped, he won't forgive you."
Gao Jingxing, never missing a beat, sent a threatening look towards Hu Yue. The message in his eyes was clear: "We'll settle this later."
And so, the first round passed. Now it was Hu Yue's turn to spin the pointer. After a few rounds, it finally landed on Qiao Lin, the most lively of them all.
The only ones remaining at the round table who hadn't had a turn were Gu Ningyan and Ling Rong. Seeing that the pointer was about to stop, Qiao Lin prayed hard for it to land on either of them.
"Gu Ningyan, Ling Rong…" Qiao Lin muttered. Finally, the goddess of fortune granted his wish. The pointer ultimately pointed at Gu Ningyan, sitting there composed all this while.
"Oh! Truth or Dare! Truth or Dare!" the others could barely contain their anticipation.
Gu Ningyan looked at the two cards in the staff member's hand, pondering for a while before finally choosing the one closer to Ling Rong.
It was a dare.
"Yeah! Awesome!" Qiao Lin, rubbing his hands with excitement, scanned over everyone present. Suddenly, a brilliant idea sprang to mind. "How about giving Ling Rong a princess carry for more than three seconds, Ningyan? Can you do it? If not, you'll have to face a penalty."
This challenge indeed stirred up a commotion, proving that such dares made the game much more interesting.
Qiao Lin's choice of Ling Rong wasn't just for his amusement; it was also strategic. Among all those present, Ling Rong was the smallest in size, the shortest in height, and presumably the lightest in weight. So, carrying her for three seconds shouldn't present much of a burden to Gu Ningyan.
Gu Ningyan instinctively turned to Ling Rong. He understood this was a part of the show. If he simply accepted the punishment, it would make the game uninteresting. And, for the effect of the show, his footage might be cut out during post-production. However, if Ling Rong displayed any sign of reluctance, he wouldn't force her.
Ling Rong was completely at ease. She stood up and walked toward Gu Ningyan, smiling slyly, "I am quite heavy. Be careful not to drop me."
With the consent of the principal party, Gu Ningyan had no worries. Amidst the encouragement of everyone, the man cautiously wrapped his arms around Ling Rong's shoulders. His other hand passed under one of Ling Rong's legs, trying to lift her up. Once satisfied there were no issues, Gu Ningyan's deep voice rang out next to Ling Rong's ear, "Lift up your other leg."
Trusting that he wouldn't drop her, Ling Rong applied a slight force on her remaining foot and placed it on the man's arm, maintaining her balance by instinctively wrapping her hands around his neck.
Gu Ningyan had fully lifted her up.
Feeling the almost non-existent weight in his hands, Gu Ningyan thought to himself, 'little liar'. She was so slender, yet she had the audacity to call herself heavy.
Due to their position, Ling Rong's upper body was resting against Gu Ningyan's chest. The weight against his throat and chest led him to instinctively hold her tighter as if carrying a precious treasure, fearing any accidental bumps or knocks.
As Gu Ningyan held up Ling Rong, not only the remaining trainees but also a group of female staff members couldn't help but exclaim. It was hard to blame them for being overwhelmed, the couple's attractiveness was too high, producing an image so beautiful they wanted to scream.
"Are you okay? Am I very heavy? Can you still hold on?" Ling Rong looked up at Gu Ningyan. From her view, his chiseled jawline was simply perfect, his protruding Adam's apple tempting as if inviting her to take a bite.
Playful all of a sudden, Gu Ningyan gave the person in his arms a little shake. After witnessing Ling Rong's brief panic, he softly said, "You're too light. You should eat more."
A man must always be up for the challenge, in any aspect. Gu Ningyan dared to say that at Ling Rong's weight, he could continue carrying her for another half an hour without any problem.
"Alright, alright, three seconds are up. Let her down gently, don't drop her." Qiao Lin quickly stepped forward, helping Ling Rong down from Gu Ningyan's arms. If she got hurt, it would be his fault.
With the weight in his arms suddenly gone, Gu Ningyan felt a flicker of loss. Suppressing this odd feeling, he shifted the focus, "So, does this count as completed?"
"It's done. You've even surpassed expectations. Quick, onto the next round!"
________________________
After roughly an hour of filming, Ling Rong and the nine others had to return for further training. With only two days left until their first public performance, they had little practice time left. Everyone needed to perform a three-minute individual showcase in front of all instructors the next afternoon. This presentation would determine which class they'd join next.
While they were diligently training, the second installment of the show had already aired. In it, Ling Rong's identity as the 100th trainee was officially revealed, along with the ranking and grading results of all trainees.
Midway through the show, PD Li Jingrong announced the next phase's task for the trainees. This was followed by footage of trainees from various classes starting their training.
As expected, Ling Rong became a focal point in the post-production edits, particularly the evening's food delivery video. Just as the footage showed Gu Ningyan preparing to deliver food to Ling Rong but bumping into Hu Yue at the door, the program abruptly cut off.
Quite a cliff-hanger, indeed! Viewers who finished the episode were already eager to know the production team's address to send them 'blade letters'. There were plenty of complaints from the audience in the official account's comments section. (Note: blade letters = fan letters with razor blades and death threats)
Underneath these, there were several comments expressing extreme anticipation, such as:
[Come out, production crew! I promise I won't send you a blade letter! You have the guts to cut it there, you should release the next episode ASAP!]
[Ah, is the love triangle about to start! I have to wait another week!]
There were also many CP fans obsessed with their favorite pairing: (Note: CP = couple pairing)
[Awsl, such a beautiful love story. Both of my favorite guys are delivering food for me! Today is yet another day spent wavering between YueJiZheRong and RongYan CPs] (Note: awsl = literally means "I'm dead." It's commonly used to express excitement over something cute, like a cat or a baby.)
Ever since the first episode and some of the outtakes aired, fans had very actively come up with CPs for their favorite contestants, even creating sophisticated sounding names for these pairings.
In particular, Ling Rong—despite barely appearing in the first episode—acquired immense popularity among the group fans due to his striking good looks. He was even paired into a visuals CP with Hu Yue, whom he hadn't met in the first episode. This CP was accordingly named "YueJiZheRong". The CP involving Ling Rong and Gu Ningyan, on the other hand, was naturally named "RongYan". (Note: 越己者容 [Yuè jǐ zhě róng] = literally means "the one who surpasses one's face". 容颜 [Róngyán] = face or appearance)
The airing of the second episode further excited these CP fans, whose pairings were originally based on visuals alone. Interactions between Ling Rong, Hu Yue, and Gu Ningyan were scrutinized by fans and sweet moments were extracted, further affirming their confidence in their chosen CPs.
Some posts in the comments section were along the lines of:
[I've truly fallen in love! What a beautiful title, 'Little Prince', is! YueJiZheRong is just amazing! I've swallowed the key! This ultra-handsome pairing is so delightful!]
[I'll carry the flag for 'RongYan'! Waist hugging and food delivering, can you two get any closer? I can still get up and consume these sugar moments! Let's go, 'RongYan'!]
While fans were passionately promoting their favorite CPs, time flew by, and the individual performance evaluation before the first public show officially began.
As it was an individual showcase, and all instructors needed to watch the trainee's performance and discuss their evaluations, the process took a while. The order was based on the previous evaluation rankings, so Gao Jingxing naturally went first. Gu Ningyan and Ling Rong would have to wait a while for their turn.
"You're aiming for Class A, right?" Ling Rong asked.
"Aren't you?" Gu Ningyan countered.
"Of course!" Ling Rong replied, her eyes sparkling with determination. "We both will aim for Class A! We have to meet each other there!"
Seemingly encouraged by Ling Rong's confidence, Gu Ningyan's lips curled up slightly as he responded affirmatively, "Okay."
The evaluation began at one in the afternoon and didn't conclude until six. After a brief rest, all 100 trainees were called to the place where the results were to be announced. They were to wait for Li Jingrong to arrive and declare the final outcomes. This time, their assigned positions were crucial, as they corresponded with their placement during the next day's performance.
To be more visible and therefore get more votes, one naturally needed to stand at the forefront. And the most prominent position belonged, of course, to Class A.
Finally, after a short while, Li Jingrong entered the room, holding the evaluation results of all participants.
"Next, let's announce the results of this evaluation..."
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