Fu Yue stepped into the television studio and took the far-right seat reserved for mentors. He grabbed the contestants’ applications for the evening and began flipping through them.
He had already looked them over that afternoon, but out of responsibility to each contestant, he flipped through the roster once more, faster this time.
By the end of the second pass, he had every contestant committed to memory.
As he flipped through, his fingers paused on Gu Panqiu’s page.
His application was unremarkable, yet the words “left the group due to personal reasons” made him stand out for all the wrong reasons.
Fu Yue tapped the desk with a fingertip. Turning things around against the odds won’t be easy for Gu Panqiu…
Joining Fu Yue tonight were two other mentors—Yan Ran, Nova Entertainment’s music diva, and Qi Tianle, the company’s head instructor for trainees. Both were names that carried weight across the industry.
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“Nssj yv usw, UOX Ww, olyakdt tzypplp.” Zyd Syd tzydnle shla okvb y vlypkdt pxkzl. “R byhl y vbkdt qsa bydepsxl xld kd tzypplp. Mlzz xl, bso es usw xydytl vs jllr uswa pbkav oakdjzl-qall yzz vbl vkxl?”
Ww Zwl’p qlyvwalp olal dyvwayzzu pvakjkdt. Mbl tzypplp eke dsv ewzz bkp ralpldnl; kq yduvbkdt, vblu zldv bkx yd yka sq nwzvwale lzltydnl.
Rv oyp y qykazu qsaxyz snnypksd vseyu, ps bl bye tsdl yp qya yp vs olya pbkav tyavlap qypvldle vs bkp vbktbp. Jldlyvb vbl vykzsale pwkv vaswplap, vblu zlqv sdzu vbl qykdvlpv vaynl. Mbydjp vs vblx, kv oyp ldswtb vs jllr bkp pbkav qzyozlppzu kd rzynl ds xyvvla bso bl xshle.
Omyxkdkdt vbl pnsal pbllvp kd bkp byde, Ww Zwl alrzkle sqqbydelezu, “Yytkn.”
Zyd Syd oyp y qwzz elnyel szela vbyd Ww Zwl. Tyhkdt osajle yv vbl nsxrydu qsa qkqvlld ulyap, pbl bye jdsod bkx pkdnl bkp pnbssz eyup yde oyvnble bkx taso wr zkjl yd szela pkpvla.
“Zsw jdso, alplahle bydepsxl twup zkjl usw zssj lhld plmkla okvb tzypplp. Myjl vblx sqq, yde usw’al fwpv—”
Kwpv vbld, pbl qzkrrle vs Qw Vydikw’p yrrzknyvksd yde qasgl. “Twb?”
Fbl rypple vbl ryrla vs Mlynbla Ck, obspl casop pbsv wr vbl xsxldv bl pjkxxle kv. “UOX Ww, eked’v usw pyu ol olal sdzu zssjkdt qsa vsvyz dlonsxlap? R fwpv zssjle vbaswtb y qlo yde pyo iwkvl y qlo qyxkzkya qynlp.”
Fu Yue maintained his calm demeanor, a hint of indifference in his voice. “Having been in the industry isn’t exactly a crime, is it?”
Yan Ran covered her mouth and let out a soft laugh. “CEO Fu,” she teased, “I heard from He Bei that you had a great time on 5041… and even went on a date with Gu Panqiu!”
“Who? Gu Panqiu?”
Qi Tianle’s mouth formed a perfect “O.” The latest episode of 5041 had not even aired yet, but he had already heard rumors about Gu Panqiu joining the show.
He could hardly picture the aloof CEO Fu going on a date with someone whose reputation was, frankly, disastrous.
“CEO Fu, you must know Gu Panqiu’s reputation, right? It’s abysmal,” Qi Tianle grumbled, irritation creeping into his voice. “And doesn’t he have contract issues? How could someone like him even be allowed to join our internal auditions?”
He continued, “Actually, he attended an audition with Lu Yao when he was sixteen. Back then, I thought he was too stiff and dull, so I failed him.”
Fu Yue frowned. “Too dull?”
To Fu Yue, Gu Panqiu was anything but dull, so he could not help but doubt Qi Tianle’s judgment.
“Even the greatest man has a weakness for beauties,” Yan Ran teased. “Teacher Qi, we’ve got to keep a close watch here and not let CEO Fu play favorites.”
Fu Yue remained calm. “Just because he appeared on the same variety show as me doesn’t mean he should get special treatment. And just because he has a few skeletons in the closet doesn’t mean we should judge him unfairly.”
Qi Tianle nodded. “Of course. But… has his contract actually expired?”
Fu Yue replied, “We’ll deal with the contract issue if he passes the audition.”
The audition process for Solo was notoriously stringent. A contestant could only advance to the next round if all three mentors gave them a pass.
Two passes and one rejection would put them on hold, uncertain of their fate.
And if only one—or none—gave the nod, they were eliminated on the spot.
In the first round, contestants were not even allowed to perform their own songs. They had to pick one from the company’s list—whatever they were best at—and perform that.
Basically, it was an open audition run by a major entertainment agency, and everyone had to play by its rules.
“It’s about time. Let’s get started.” Fu Yue glanced at his watch. “Call in the first contestant.”
People began filing into the studio one by one. Gu Panqiu’s turn was later, so he slipped on his noise-canceling headphones and listened to music. The boy sitting next to him shot a disdainful look. “Gu Panqiu, you’re not here to film the dating show, are you?”
However, Gu Panqiu did not hear a word the boy was shouting. Annoyed that he was being ignored, the younger boy suddenly waved behind him. “Brother! Get over here!”
A man in black shades and a black mask appeared at his side. “What’s wrong, Xiao Zhi?”
The boy jabbed a finger toward Gu Panqiu. “Isn’t this your ex-groupmate? Since when does he qualify for a talent show?”
Gu Panqiu kept his mask in place, but the moment the man caught sight of the other’s eyes, a mocking smile curved beneath his mask. “Well, well, if it isn’t our face of the group, Qiuqiu.”
Yet Gu Panqiu heard nothing. At that moment, his long-absent manager, Fiona, called. He took one look at the screen and turned off his phone. He did not need to answer since he knew all too well what she was going to say.
“Gu Panqiu! I’m talking to you!”
Fuming with rage, Huang Xu yanked the headset right off Gu Panqiu’s head.
Gu Panqiu blinked up at the man in front of him, wrapped from head to toe like a mummy. “What is it?” he asked blankly.
“I’m talking to you! What, you quit the group and suddenly don’t recognize me anymore?” Huang Xu gave him a shove. “What are you even doing at Nova Entertainment’s audition? A loser like you is a loser no matter where you go! You still have the nerve to stay in the industry? A washed-up nobody trying out for Nova Entertainment? What’s next, you trying to reach for the stars?”
Gu Panqiu squinted at him, vaguely feeling he had seen that face somewhere before. It took him a while to recall that this mummy-like man was none other than his ex-groupmate, Huang Xu—the same one who had messaged him days ago.
Not that his memory was bad; it was just hard to tell when the guy looked so fierce, like a street thug ready to jump out from an alley, than an idol.
With his turn coming up soon, Gu Panqiu didn’t bother to argue and muttered pitifully, “Yeah, I’m a washed-up nobody.”
In The King of Showbiz, it was revealed that Huang Xu came from a modestly affluent family. During their time in the group, he had been the ringleader in ostracizing the original host, who had grown up in an orphanage. Plain-faced and insecure, Huang Xu secretly envied the original host’s beauty. He often lashed out with cutting remarks, and later, even hired paid internet trolls to spread rumors about the original host’s so-called “scandalous private life.”
Though the original host appeared hot-headed, his true nature was actually more reserved and awkward. It was only when his groupmates kept bringing up things he did not want to talk about that his frustration boiled over, leading to disastrous performances on stage.
Gu Panqiu utterly despised cowards like Huang Xu, who resorted to psychological torment to feel powerful. So he decided to give Huang Xu a taste of his own medicine.
Tilting his chin up, his lips curved into a faint smile. “But not only are you a nobody, you’re also quite ugly. What was it they said about you online? Oh, right, ‘the old-faced main vocalist who never makes it big.’ Ever thought of getting that fixed?”
The jab hit home. Huang Xu’s face darkened as he lunged forward to shove him again. But the moment his hand brushed Gu Panqiu’s shoulder, Gu Panqiu let out a gasp and collapsed dramatically onto the floor.
Then, in the sweetest, most pitiful tone, he called out to a nearby security guard on patrol, waving weakly. “Sir, help! He hit me!”
Alerted by the commotion, the security guard rushed over to subdue Huang Xu when he saw Gu Panqiu sprawled on the floor. A crowd quickly gathered, and the guard scrambled to maintain order. Pressing Huang Xu down, he demanded, “Are you a contestant? Let me see your ID and pass.”
Despite having debuted for over two years, Huang Xu was such a flop that even the entertainment agency’s very own security guards did not recognize him.
Huang Xu was just accompanying his younger brother to the competition, so technically, he should not have been allowed in. A friend in the industry had let him slip past the entrance—no ID required—but it did not matter. The guard grabbed him on the spot and shoved him into the elevator.
Watching as his brother was dragged away, Huang Zhi was so terrified that he broke down crying.
“Don’t cry, Xiao Zhi! Focus on your performance!” Huang Xu snapped, gritting his teeth in both frustration and helplessness. As the elevator doors began to close, he shouted, “Gu Panqiu, may you never rise again!”
From a distance, Gu Panqiu narrowed his eyes into a sly smile and waved dismissively, his gaze dripping with contempt. His lips formed the words: Not a chance.
Huang Xu’s outburst had announced Gu Panqiu’s presence to every contestant in the waiting area. Countless eyes fell on him, and some even whipped out their phones to post about it on the forums.
“Breaking News: Gu Panqiu showed up at the Solo auditions and got roughed up by a former groupmate!”
“Wait, what? He’s actually participating in a singing competition? Somehow… I’m kinda looking forward to it!”
“I don’t think he’s got a chance. Solo’s for actual singers, and he’s more of an idol, isn’t he?”
“I heard the SkyNight members don’t get along at all; just a bunch of fake brothers. But isn’t Huang Xu supposed to be the gentle big brother? Um…”
“SkyNight’s new songs all flopped last year, but Gu Panqiu? He hasn’t even been on a dating show, and he’s already more popular.”
“I watched 5041 recently, and Gu Panqiu seems like a solid guy. Maybe his past mistakes were just his groupmates pushing his buttons? Hmm… still, his skills aren’t that great. So, trying out for Nova Entertainment might be a stretch. He’d be better off honing his craft at a smaller company first.”
“Contestant 11450309, Gu Panqiu, please enter.”
Outside the studio, his name lit up on the screen. Dressed in a white shirt and black leather pants, Gu Panqiu took off his headphones. His lean figure cut a clean silhouette as he headed toward the entrance.
With each step he took, Gu Panqiu could hear the relentless thumping of his heart echoing in his ears.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
His blood surged through his veins, each heartbeat a powerful reminder of his ambition.
In the television studio hall, Fu Yue had just failed the previous contestant. “CEO Fu, aren’t you being a little too strict?” Yan Ran remarked with a smile. “For a freshman singing one of my songs, I’d say he did well enough.”
Fu Yue shook his head. “His delivery lacked emotion. I can’t pass a mechanical performance.”
Qi Tianle chimed in, “I’m with CEO Fu on this one. You may think eighteen is still young, Yan Ran, but we have trainees as young as ten. At eighteen, he should already be able to express a song’s emotions more fully.”
Fu Yue pulled out a new scoring sheet just as the door swung open. He looked up and met Gu Panqiu’s gaze.
With a cheerful smile that lit up his face, Gu Panqiu greeted, “Good evening, Teachers. I’m Contestant 309, Gu Panqiu. Tonight, I’ll be singing Faye Wong’s ‘Undercurrent.’”
Yan Ran looked faintly surprised as she watched Gu Panqiu adjust the mic stand. Leaning toward Fu Yue, she whispered, “That song’s insanely hard. No one’s dared pick it so far.”
Fu Yue remained silent, though anticipation flickered beneath his calm.
After all, he was the one who had let Gu Panqiu in. Let’s hope he would not come to regret it.
The author has something to say:
You’ve got this, Qiuqiu!
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