Dressed As a Cannon Fodder For the Rich and Powerful

The program group is quite humane, not as shameless as Yu Xiaosheng said.

Although the clip of Qi Xiaoyu practicing songs all night was not included in the episode, it was released in the preview to create suspense, which probably implies that Qi Xiaoyu, who has been training hard, might be able to sing in tune and complete the lead singer task.

It was also placed alongside other suspense such as “Yu Zhou’s super-burning stage”, “Dong Fan’s cool new look”, “Gu Lei’s immortal voice,” and so on.

While other people’s suspense is full of anticipation and screaming, his suspense is full of mockery.

Although Qi Xiaoyu was dragged from the very beginning due to his lack of strength, he gained a lot of fans on this program due to his attractive appearance, so the scolding and praise are divided in half.

But after recent incidents, netizens who don’t watch “Let’s Debut, Trainees” know that the second part of this show is about a flower vase1A derogatory term generally refers to actors or singers who are good-looking but have no talent. who sings out of tune.

Qi Xiaoyu had a lot of black fans2Anti-fans and a bit of fame for a while.

Qi Xiaoyu didn’t care about these things at all. After watching the video, he chatted with Yu Xiaosheng for a while, telling him to put his mind at ease and not worry. Then he practiced nursery rhymes for a while and went to bed.

For the next three or four days, Qi Xiaoyu continued to exercise and practice singing. He neither surfed the Internet nor cared about gossip, and he lived a very regular and comfortable life.

In the middle, he went to the show and practiced the song with the same team for two afternoons. Although there were people talking about his singing and online comments behind his back during the rehearsal, Qi Xiaoyu pretended not to hear them and got along harmoniously.

The only strange thing is that at the Xun family’s side, Xun Qian didn’t ask him to massage his legs, and he didn’t see Xun Qian anywhere in the house.

Butler Cheng also disappeared.

Although Xun Qian didn’t show up, he could clearly feel the low pressure in the house, which made people very uncomfortable. Everyone showed some kind of fear and was careful not to speak loudly.

One day at noon, Qi Xiaoyu was eating alone in the dining room downstairs and happened to see the chef bring the food upstairs. Half an hour later, she brought the food back as it was.

Qi Xiaoyu wondered why Xun Qian locked himself upstairs without eating or drinking.

****

On the day of the official rehearsal, Qi Xiaoyu thought that if he didn’t come back for two days, it would be better to go upstairs and talk to Xun Qian or Butler Cheng.

He originally wanted to send a message to Butler Cheng as he did last time, but since he was at home, it would be impolite to send a message.

He went up to the third floor, and the corridor was as quiet as ever.

Although the weather that day was better than the previous few days, with the sun and clear sky and birds singing in the yard, the entire third floor was more depressing and gloomy than usual.

The curtains at the end of the corridor were drawn shut, blocking most of the sunlight, and the dark gray carpet absorbed the rest of the light.

What Qi Xiaoyu hates most is the dark space, but Xun Qian seems to particularly like to hide himself in the dark.

He walked to the door of the room, hesitating whether to knock on the door. Xun Qian’s gloomy and unpredictable temper was really not to his liking.

Qi Xiaoyu was lifting his hand and stopping at a distance of one centimeter from the door when suddenly there was a “clang”, and the door shook. It was the sound of something hitting the door.

Qi Xiaoyu withdrew his hand and quickly took three steps back, deciding that it was better to send a message and not get himself into trouble.

Just as he was about to walk away, the door opened.

He peered inside. There were pieces of broken glass on the ground, as well as a deformed metal frame knocked against the door. What was thrown seemed to be a picture frame.

Butler Cheng bent over and quietly opened the door. Seeing Qi Xiaoyu, he was slightly surprised and said, “Why are you here?”

Qi Xiaoyu walked back, knelt down to help clean up the broken glass on the ground, and glanced at the old photo that was pressed under a few pieces of glass.

It was a family portrait of a couple and two children taken at the seaside. Behind them was the blue sea under the sun and strange-shaped stones. The man and the woman sat on a large stone, while the little boy and girl snuggled in their parents’ arms. With the sea breeze blowing, everyone smiled brightly and naturally. The little boy who leaned against his mother and tilted his head in his sister’s arms smiled especially sweetly, like a rose bud trembling in the wind.

Qi Xiaoyu took all the glass in his hands and said, “Let me do it, Uncle Cheng; be careful not to prick your hands… I’m going to record the show and may not be back until the day after tomorrow.”

Butler Cheng waved his hand and said in a low voice, “Okay, you can go. I’ll contact you if there’s anything. Hey, don’t pick it up. I’ll call Mama Liu to clean it up later.”

Qi Xiaoyu peeked in through the crack of the door, but the lights were not turned on inside and the curtains were still drawn. It was dark, and he couldn’t see where Xun Qian was. He nimbly stacked several pieces of broken glass together and obediently said in a small voice, “Never mind, let me do it. Don’t ask anyone to come up and disturb the third master.”

“Hiya,” Butler Cheng sighed with a gloomy expression on his face.

“The third master and the old lady had a quarrel, and it may take several days to get over it. It’s better if you’re not at home, so stay out of the limelight.”

“Oh.” When Qi Xiaoyu heard that this was a family matter, he felt that it was inappropriate to ask too much. He got up and said, “Then I’m leaving, Uncle Cheng; take good care of the third master, and remember to eat something yourself.”

Qi Xiaoyu came down from the stairs, feeling that the Xun family was really not peaceful. According to the plot line in the original novel, at the beginning of winter this year, Xun Qian had a serious illness. It seemed to be around this time, and the cause turned out to be this quarrel.

Xun Qian was already in poor shape, but he still continued to work without exercising, and his heart was also plagued with trouble. It would be strange if he didn’t have a serious illness.

Hey, shouldn’t Xun Qian be reminded to pay attention to his body? Or have Uncle Cheng send him to the hospital?

Qi Xiaoyu stopped going downstairs, glanced back at the quiet and dark corridor, and dismissed this idea. Anyway, Xun Qian isn’t dead yet, and this person might even send him to an asylum in the future.

*****

The rehearsal for “Let’s Debut, Trainees” starts at two o’clock in the afternoon.

Qi Xiaoyu came out of Xun’s house and rushed to the recording location at twelve o’clock.

The contestants haven’t arrived yet, and the staff is busy setting up the stage and preparing props in the venue.

Cameras, chairs, and clothing were placed everywhere, and everything was in a mess.

Qi Xiaoyu looked at the situation and decided to hurry up and go to the dressing room to change his clothes, then find Dong Fan and clean him up.

These few days he was at home, he received at least 20 or 30 harassing messages from Dong Fan, over and over again, such as “baby, I miss you so much”, “baby, don’t be angry”, “baby, what are you doing?”

He blocked the number, and Dong Fan changed his number and continued to do so.

The more frustrated he was, the more courageous Dong Fan became.

Qi Xiaoyu walked around the messy things under his feet towards the dressing room.

It just so happened that before he reached the dressing room, he met Dong Fan.

Dong Fan had already finished his makeup and was walking out of the dressing room.

As soon as he saw Qi Xiaoyu, his eyes lit up like a mouse seeing a cake. He stopped in front of him and said, in a posture that he thought was very handsome, “Baby, you’re here?”

Qi Xiaoyu pursed his lips; his disgust was self-evident.

However, Dong Fan seemed to like Qi Xiaoyu’s expression very much, and he was very attentive. “Don’t rush in; it’s full of people. Do you want to put on makeup? I’ll let our company’s make-up artist help you.”

“No. Thank you.” Qi Xiaoyu glanced up at Dong Fan and looked around. Seeing that there weren’t many people around, he was too lazy to get entangled with Dong Fan any further and decided to clear things up here. After thinking for a moment, he said bluntly, “Take out your phone.”

“Huh?” Dong Fan was stunned for a moment, then took out his mobile phone and handed it to Qi Xiaoyu. “Baby, what are you doing? Check my mobile phone? Don’t worry; I’ve put your chat at the top. I’ll see it first as soon as you send me anything…”

Qi Xiaoyu interrupted him, “Unlock it; delete all our chat records.”

Dong Fan’s face changed, and he understood what Qi Xiaoyu meant: “I won’t delete it. How can I be willing to delete our chat records?”

Qi Xiaoyu looked at Dong Fan with folded arms and said plainly and without emotion, “I went to Weihao Hotel a few days ago and happened to take the video of you going in and out of the casino. Tell me if I send these videos to your dad or post them online…”

“You…” Dong Fan’s expression changed again, and his eyebrows jumped sharply. His family conditions are actually good, but he often gambles with money from home, which angered his dad a long time ago. He has repeatedly promised to stop gambling, but if his dad finds out…

“Qi Xiaoyu…don’t lie to me; where did you get these things?”

“I have my own method. If you don’t believe me, how about I send a clip to your dad tomorrow?”

Dong Fan stared at Qi Xiaoyu.

But Qi Xiaoyu’s face was calm. He wasn’t willing to negotiate any further.

The two people were at a standstill for a while.

Anyone who loses his composure first will be the loser.

Obviously, Qi Xiaoyu won’t be the one who can’t remain calm.

In the end, Dong Fan was defeated and said, “Okay, I will delete it. You have to delete the things in your hands too.”

“No problem. If you don’t mess with me, don’t worry; I’m too lazy to bother you.”

Qi Xiaoyu watched Dong Fan delete everything from both phones before bypassing him and preparing to leave.

Dong Fan stared at his phone reluctantly and stayed in a daze for a while before shouting, “Xiao Yu, can we start over?”

It’s a pity that Qi Xiaoyu left without looking back.

****

The dressing room of more than 40 square meters was filled to the brim with assistants, agents, makeup artists, cameramen, and a few contestants who arrived as early as Qi Xiaoyu.

As the final was approaching, there were many distinguished guests who came that evening. All companies worked hard to prepare for the rehearsal in order to earn prestige for their own company and artists.

Qi Xiaoyu was dazzled by the crowd. After gathering his composure, he walked through the crowd and saw Ren Fei in a small corner at the other end of the dressing room.

Ren Fei happened to see him too and stretched out his arms to wave to him.

When Qi Xiaoyu walked up to him, Ren Fei immediately took his hand and said, “Xiao Yu, it’s a good thing you’re here; otherwise, I’d be bored to death here alone.”

“Where are Brother Yu and the others?” In addition to Ren Fei, there is also a person named Gu Junnan from Star Entertainment who also participated in this show and was eliminated from the top 50.

But on the day of the finals, all the contestants will be present, so he also came to participate in the rehearsal.

“They’re still on their way. I wanted to go out and buy something to drink, but Brother Yu wouldn’t let me go, saying he was afraid that my stool would be occupied and we wouldn’t even have room for makeup.”

Although Ren Fei was complaining, his expression was quite exciting.

He leaned into Qi Xiaoyu’s ear and pointed to the other people who were surrounded by threes and fives, saying, “Do you see that there are five people from Orange Juice Entertainment over there and six people from Han Feng Entertainment over there? Big companies are indeed different, with several stylists. It’s really cool that you don’t have to occupy the position yourself. Oh, by the way, do you know which company is the most exaggerated?”

“Which one?”

“Feichi Media, tsk tsk tsk, that mannerism. Even the assistant wears LV. The whole body is written with money.”

Qi Xiaoyu has the impression that Feichi Media has appeared many times in the original book. This is an entertainment company controlled by the Mao family, and Tang Yuning was founded by this company.

But now he hasn’t taken this to heart.

Ren Fei then hung his head on Qi Xiaoyu and sighed, “Hey, I really want to go to a big company to experience it. There is a dedicated makeup artist and several assistants. I heard that the brand-name clothes are all bought by the company. That’s super cool.”

Qi Xiaoyu raised his eyebrows. Ren Fei’s words were indeed quite exaggerated. Compared with other entertainment companies, Star Entertainment is indeed quite simple, just like a small workshop next to a high-rise building.

When Yu Xiaosheng told him that the company was small and had no money or resources, he hadn’t deeply felt it. The comparison now is quite tragic.

Qi Xiaoyu peeled away Ren Fei’s hand from his shoulder and said, “Then you continue to occupy the place here; I’ll go first to change my clothes.”

Dong Fan’s matter was settled, so he could concentrate on the rehearsal.

****

Because the contestants who were previously eliminated also came to participate in the rehearsal, the number of people was quite large. Star Entertainment does not have its own makeup artist like other big companies. When they line up to put on their makeup, the rehearsal will begin.

The rehearsal on the final day had to go through the entire process. From the introduction of the guests to the review of the top 20 contestants, and then the performance stage.

First is “love, again”.

The rehearsal didn’t go very smoothly. Someone sang the wrong lyrics, someone dropped the mic, and someone else moved the wrong way, rehearsing three times in a row.

Next is “Along with You”.

In addition to the camera that recorded the scene on the night of the final, there was also a camera that recorded behind-the-scenes footage and followed the whole process.

Qi Xiaoyu carefully took all of this in. He couldn’t perform too well today; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to impress people on the final night.

It is also important to not perform too poorly, to show people his efforts and progress, and to give a gradual impression.

The piano sounded, and everyone sang according to their own parts.

Like the previous one, during the performance of this song, some people forgot the lyrics, and some people made mistakes.

Qi Xiaoyu’s performance was mediocre but very steady. He didn’t forget his lyrics, didn’t make a wrong move, and had one or two very cute interactions with the camera.

Although he was far from fully displaying his strength, he was much better than at the first audition. His pitch was accurate, and his breathing was steady. One could tell at a glance that he had been training very earnestly.

After he finished his performance and left the stage, Ren Fei and Yu Xiaosheng rushed over immediately.

Ren Fei, “Xiao Yu, you’re so awesome. You’ve improved so much in just a few days.”

Yu Xiaosheng: “Not bad, not bad, better than I thought; just perform like this tomorrow.”

But other than that, everyone else looked at Qi Xiaoyu with either disdain or indifference.

The people at the rehearsal site were all insiders in this industry, and everyone was clear about it. The debut position had already been determined by default. Where could there be a spot for Qi Xiaoyu? He was just overhyped cannon fodder.

This is especially true for Orange Juice Entertainment and Feichi Media. One of them is backed by the Xun family, and the other is backed by the Mao family. They don’t even bother to waste a single glance on Qi Xiaoyu.

Next to Gu Lei, a contestant from the same company as him snorted mockingly, “Who does he think he is? It’s just the level of ordinary people singing karaoke. What’s there to be happy about?”

He also said, “It’s a good thing he won’t debut with us; otherwise, he would really drag down the team’s level. He can’t sing; he can’t dance; it’s a waste of places.”

Gu Lei’s agent also reassured him, “That’s right. It took him ten days of practice to reach this level. Even if he gets the lead singer, he won’t be as good as you tomorrow.”

Gu Lei curled his lips and said nothing, but his eyes were filled with disdain that couldn’t be concealed.

*****

For the program group, in order to gain more traffic, on the night of the rehearsal, they edited a 20-minute behind-the-scenes video and put it on the Internet.

The netizens who stayed up late immediately made various analyses of the performances of the contestants.

Some of them posted,

“Xiao Yu has made great progress; maybe tomorrow he will deliver an eye-catching performance.”

Not long after that, fifty or sixty floors were built below. “Landlord3In Chinese internet culture, landlord means the original poster, building means the post or threat, and floors mean the comments under it., beware of being slapped in the face.”

The formation is very neat.

Occasionally, a sentence was inserted in the middle: “Qi Xiaoyu’s fans are just like him. They really like to dream big.”

As a result, this floor was also advised to be deleted. The reason was to stop talking nonsense with Qi Xiaoyu’s idiot fans and maintain a good formation.

In short, a group of people angrily pressed the landlord into the dust and never dared to speak up again.

1A derogatory term generally refers to actors or singers who are good-looking but have no talent.2Anti-fans3In Chinese internet culture, landlord means the original poster, building means the post or threat, and floors mean the comments under it.