Chapter 40 Part 2
Lou Ting watched the video that He Yunzhou had sent him, but he didn’t feel much about it. It was a consequence of Le Chengzhe’s own actions.
Holding onto an obsession until the end would only become a cage that trapped oneself. If Le Chengzhe had managed to let go sooner, he wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.
—
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The members of the group were all easy-going, and no one was jealous about it. Instead, they laughed heartily.
“Hahaha, Xie laoshi is biased!”
“Oh no, I’ve been following Xie laoshi since the beginning, and now I’m crying.”
“Why cry? Is Lou Ting handsome?”
“No.”
“Does Lou Ting sing well?”
“No.”
“Then who cares if she’s biased?”
“That’s true.”
…
The teasing shifted from Xie Rongrong to Lou Ting as these group members bantered with each other.
“All right, time is running late, and Xie laoshi is a serious teacher. Let’s start the class now,” Xie Rongrong handed out the songs to them. “These songs are all from the song pool we’ll use for song selection later. Each song has corresponding hints. Whether you can choose the song you want depends on your luck.”
The songs included not only the lyrics but also the song titles.
They didn’t have the program’s prompts written on them, so it wasn’t considered cheating.
Before the actual selection, each group would receive such songs as a form of preparation. It was like having a rough idea before taking an exam, making the song selection process less confusing.
Choosing the right song was crucial for their stage performance. If the vocal group chose a rap song, they wouldn’t need to perform, and vice versa. So, having some context helped with the selection process.
The titles of the five songs were quite peculiar.
Lou Ting looked at these unconventional song titles and felt that none of them would be easy to handle.
Once they familiarized themselves with the titles to a reasonable extent, Xie Rongrong waved her hand and said, “Let’s go, it’s time to choose the songs.”
The three groups gathered in the indoor courtyard.
Fang Huandong acted as the temporary host and greeted everyone with a smile, “Good afternoon, everyone. How’s the preparation with the songs going?”
“Quite well.”
“Yes, we haven’t remembered a single thing.”
…
The songs didn’t have strong memory cues, so everyone found it challenging.
Fang Huandong enjoyed seeing them struggle, and he said, “Have you all seen the signs in front of you? There are five hints written on them, corresponding to the five songs you reviewed earlier.”
“I’ll say ‘start,’ and you can rush to grab the sign that represents the song you want!”
Since they had already prepared the songs, Fang Huandong didn’t give them too much time. After delivering his instructions, he immediately shouted, “3, 2, 1, start!”
Everyone didn’t have time to think and rushed forward.
Lou Ting stood still at the back.
“What are you waiting for? Your exclusive song is right in front of you!”
“Come on! Fight for it!”
“You guys…” Fang Huandong, who was enthusiastically cheering them on, suddenly noticed someone not moving. He walked up to Lou Ting and asked, “What are you looking at?”
Lou Ting stood there with a face that said, “I’m just here to watch the show.”
Watching them in front of him, chasing and pulling each other, was indeed quite entertaining.
Fang Huandong chuckled and asked, “Is it fun to watch?”
Lou Ting nodded honestly.
“What are you waiting for?” Fang Huandong shouted, “Go out there and grab one!”
Lou Ting had initially thought about waiting for them to finish fighting over the signs and then pick from what was left, but since the director had called him out, he knew he had to join the “battle” as well. Now that the battle had escalated into a heated contest, everyone was on the ground, holding onto the signs tightly.
Lou Ting walked over, bypassing them, and reached the sign with the hints.
The director thought to himself, “This isn’t the scenario I had in mind.”
While the others were still fighting, Lou Ting began pondering the songs corresponding to these hints. The hints all seemed quite nonsensical.
The director wanted to go over and add some drama, but Lou Ting was casually and methodically choosing his song as if he were taking a leisurely stroll.
Just as the director was considering intervening, Lou Ting picked up a sign and said, “Vocal group, we’ve chosen our song.”
“What?” Ji Huan, whose collar had been torn open, looked up in confusion. Those who were lying on the ground also turned their attention to Lou Ting.
Lou Ting held the hint card and walked back to the starting point without looking around.
Getting into the game, no one paid attention to each other’s identities. Liang Caijin, who had been fiercely competing, had slightly messy hair. He tidied it up and asked Lou Ting as he walked over, “What did you pick?”
Lou Ting replied, “Breakup Means Breakup.”
Ji Huan exclaimed, “Huh? Are you sure about the song title? Other teams are still fighting, and you’ve already figured it out so quickly?”
“Let me see, ‘My Child Is Five Years Old’? What does that have to do with ‘Breakup Means Breakup’?”
Lou Ting explained, “In the lyrics of Breakup Means Breakup, it tells the story of an Omega who gets pregnant after separating from their lover and raises the child alone. Among all the songs, this is the only one related to a child.”
“Moreover, Breakup Means Breakup is a sentimental love song, suitable for the vocal group to perform on stage.”
Ji Huan nodded, vaguely recalling that the song had this little story in its lyrics.
While they were talking, the other teams also selected their songs.
Fang Huandong watched them choose their songs with a mischievous smile. He didn’t intervene or give any advice; he just kept on smiling, his laughter hiding something sinister.
Everyone couldn’t help but feel nervous.
The three mentors sat on the side, also smiling all along.
This situation left everyone feeling uncertain.
Fang Huandong said, “Have you all made your selections?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, we’ve made our selection, no doubt about it.”
“Hey, our team even guessed the song title. Are we proud of ourselves?”
Fang Huandong was so amused that he couldn’t even speak, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. After a while, he regained his composure and said, “Alright, alright. It seems like you’re all very clever. Now, let’s start with the vocal group. Tell us the name of your song.”
Lou Ting said, “Breakup Means Breakup”
“No, that’s not it.”
Knowing the answer in advance, Xie Rongrong sighed and said, “It’s ‘Sweet, Sweet, Sweet’.”
The members of the vocal group were baffled.
What did this hint have to do with Sweet, Sweet, Sweet?
Xie Rongrong explained, “Because five-year-old children love to eat sweet candies.”
Lou Ting raised his hand and said, “I never ate candy when I was five, so this question has a bug.”
“Yeah, same here. I’m allergic to sugar.”
Fang Huandong raised his chin slightly and said, “Take a look at the small print under the hint board.”
[The director, Fang Huandong, reserves the right to explain everything.]
In other words, the director could interpret it however he wanted.
Everyone looked puzzled.
Lou Ting glanced at the hint board and then at the director. He lifted his left leg and kicked the hint board, breaking it into two pieces.
Looking at the shattered hint board, the director said, “???”
Are you trying to give me a hint? This explanation, which had nothing to do with any of the songs and was so offbeat, stumped all three teams.
The director smiled and stepped forward, saying, “It seems like none of you are satisfied with the songs you have in hand. So, I’m offering each team a chance to change their songs. Do you need it?”
“We need it! We really need it!”
“Yes, yes, we do!”
…
“Alright,” the director said, “Each team should choose two people. One person will princess carry the other, and then both will simultaneously start doing squats. The team that does more squats within the same amount of time will get the chance to choose a new song. This chance can also involve snatching a song from someone else.”
Princess carry and squats?
Lou Ting silently took a step back, not wanting to do either.
“Oh, look at Lou Ting being so proactive. Okay, then, it will be just you from your team,” the director said.
Lou Ting: “???”
What’s going on here?
When he looked up, he saw the people on both sides of him retreating half a meter.
Lou Ting: “…”
Not cool.
Fang Huandong asked, “Anyone else? Anyone else want to partner with Lou Ting?”
No one responded.
Come on, in this day and age, who doesn’t know about the relationship between He Yunzhou and Lou Ting?
Who dares to step up?
Fang Huandong realized this too and scratched his head in frustration.
“How about we pick an audience member to join in?”
There were special guests in the audience.
They were all members of fans’ support groups.
Upon hearing Fang Huandong’s suggestion, everyone quickly agreed.
No one would pass up the chance to be princess-carried by their idol and do squats!
“Alright, let the lighting technician randomly pick someone from the audience to come up.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the lights on the technician’s side started moving.
Before Fang Huandong could heave a sigh of relief, he suddenly felt a chill on his back. He turned slowly and saw He Yunzhou in the front row, looking at him expressionlessly.
Fang Huandong: “…”
Why is someone with your status here to watch a program like this?
Upon closer inspection, he noticed that He Yunzhou had a support card with Lou Ting’s name on it pinned to his chest.
My apologies, my apologies.
But… can he survive walking out of her after choosing a fan to be princess-carried in front of He Yunzhou?
Fang Huandong instantly realized the gravity of the situation. He quickly picked up the microphone but, due to the audience below, couldn’t say certain things directly. Instead, he had to give hints to the lighting technician, “Ahem! The random selection of audience members has a low chance of picking someone. How about we set a criteria, like selecting an Alpha to come up…”
The lighting technician was confused and didn’t understand.
Fang Huandong hurriedly continued, “For example, let’s say we pick an Alpha with the last name ‘He’…”
The lights flickered chaotically, and He Yunzhou stared at him intently.
Fang Huandong nervously wiped his sweat. This impromptu decision was giving him a headache, and he had no synchronization with the lighting technician.
Seeing that the countdown for the lights was about to end, Fang Huandong spoke rapidly, “For example, the Alpha gentleman in the first row, third seat, whose last name is also ‘He,’ I think he would be a great choice to come up!”
*Click*
The lights, which had been shining directly down, abruptly shifted as if they were snapping or breaking, and they focused on He Yunzhou.
Looking at the trembling light right in front of him, Lou Ting thought, “What on earth is going on?”
“You chose me! I can’t believe I was selected. I must be really lucky,” He Yunzhou said as if nothing was amiss.
Lou Ting: “…”
You see how exhausted the director looks like he’s about to suffocate, and you say something like that without any self-awareness?
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