Chapter 28: Holding it in, but failing anyway

Lian Baozhi's stage outfit had a distinct girl group style.

She wore the currently trendy pleated skirt, adorned with many decorations that looked familiar yet were hard to place, paired with a pink cropped short-sleeved top.

She wore smoky eye makeup with a small heart drawn at the outer corner of her right eye; the eyeshadow was a dried rose color mixed with glitter.

Setting aside how the upcoming performance would go, Jin Li gave this outfit a perfect score. It played to her strengths and minimized her weaknesses, showcasing the advantages of both her appearance and her physique.

As the music started, Lian Baozhi sang and danced simultaneously, exuding a professional star quality.

Jin Li pressed her in-ear monitor with one hand, listening intently. She nodded occasionally to the beat of the drums. Not knowing what she heard, a faint smile suddenly brushed across her lips.

Jin Li tried to suppress it.

In the end, she couldn't hold it back and immediately lowered her head to hide her widening grin.

A few seconds later, she raised her head again, her expression returning to normal, calm and undisturbed.

A camera on site turned toward Jin Li. Her eyes widened slightly as she cooperatively waved at the camera, gave a small wink, and made a finger heart before turning her gaze back to the stage.

As the song ended, the atmosphere in the venue remained heated.

The trainees screamed as loudly as they could, trying to secure as much screen time as possible.

Jin Li nodded gently at this time, occasionally lowering her head to look at her teleprompter. At least from her expression, nothing unusual could be detected.

Yan Xingdong, the leader of the boy group March, stood up to act as a temporary host. He raised the microphone and asked the trainees below the stage

"Was Teacher Lian Baozhi's stage explosive or not?"

He placed his hand by his ear, making a listening gesture.

"EXPLOSIVE!!!"

"Was Teacher Lian Baozhi's stage good or not?"

"GOOD!!!"

All of this was part of the program's arranged flow; the mentor's questions and the trainees' answers had been rehearsed in advance.

Hearing the trainees' response, Jin Li couldn't help but smile again and quickly lowered her head.

By the time she looked up again, her expression had returned to normal, and she smiled and clapped very cooperatively.

A moment later, Lian Baozhi returned to the mentor seats. When she saw Jin Li, her smiling expression instantly turned flat.

Neither of them spoke.

Unless it was necessary interaction for the recording, they spent all other time doing their own things, a clear boundary drawn between them.

Soon, an hour passed, and it was five in the afternoon.

The production crew did not delay; even though trainees were performing on stage, they immediately called a halt to let everyone go rest and eat.

After all, they had to return to record in another hour, so recovering their energy was more important.

Lian Baozhi stood up to leave, and only then did Jin Li speak up leisurely: "Teacher Lian Baozhi, your singing is quite pleasant. Although your vocal condition is a bit thin, the song you chose suits you very well."

Lian Baozhi paused and gave her a suspicious look. "Are you praising me?"

Jin Li gave her a brilliant smile. "Yes, I truly admire you."

Lian Baozhi frowned, feeling very uncomfortable. She ignored Jin Li and hurried out.

After she left, Ji Qinglian, who had been waiting nearby to walk with Jin Li, said meaningfully, "You heard it too, didn't you? She went completely off-key during a segment of the lyrics, but she didn't realize it and sang it off-key twice."

Jin Li shrugged. "I heard it. She went off-key so naturally that she could transition back to the original rhythm in the next line. This song is quite interesting."

Ji Qinglian raised an eyebrow. "I just thought of something even more interesting."

Jin Li looked over.

Ji Qinglian: "Although this song is pleasant, it's a bit niche. Unless it's a mixing engineer who is very familiar with it, they probably wouldn't know to correct that part, because Lian Baozhi sang it too naturally."

Jin Li imagined the scene and burst into laughter.

Indeed, even the singer didn't know she had made a mistake; it was quite deceptive.

If it had been a different song, she might not have noticed, but Lian Baozhi happened to choose this one—"Quiet After the Rain."

Since their debut, the pink girl group mostly sang their own original songs and rarely covered others; there were only a few songs they had covered.

And "Quiet After the Rain" was one of their few covers; they had even specially choreographed a dance for it and painstakingly learned every single note.

So Jin Li knew this song had a trap. It was fine when learning from the sheet music, but once the music was gone, almost everyone would go off-key while singing a certain lyric.

They had gone through repeated corrective training to form muscle memory, ensuring they wouldn't make a mistake no matter how they sang, before finally performing it on stage.

She didn't know if Lian Baozhi had happened to pick this song or if she had chosen it intentionally.

Whether it was the former or the latter, one could only say she had miscalculated and was a bit unlucky.

Sui Lingfang was waiting for Jin Li at the door.

Seeing her appear with Ji Qinglian, she nodded and greeted Ji Qinglian.

Jin Li walked toward the cafeteria with Ji Qinglian on one arm and her manager on the other, chatting with them about her impressions of the stage.

The cafeteria was bustling with noise.

Mentors and trainees shared the same cafeteria, but they ate in different areas; the mentors went to the second floor.

The second floor operated on a private ordering model with made-to-order dishes.

Jin Li arrived at the soup noodle area, where Gu Cheng was also queuing. The two exchanged greetings.

Gu Cheng was much taller than Jin Li; his height was considered quite high among male celebrities.

Standing together, even the not-so-short Jin Li appeared somewhat petite.

After ordering, Gu Cheng did not leave immediately but took out his phone to check a message.

A moment later, Jin Li's soup noodles were ready. Just as she was about to pick them up, a hand with well-defined knuckles reached out and picked up her noodles as well.

Gu Cheng said succinctly, "It's a bit hot and quite heavy. I'll help you carry them over."

Jin Li was stunned for a moment and immediately said thank you.

As she walked, she joked, "Do I look that fragile? Do you treat me like some kind of endangered protected species?"

Gu Cheng glanced at her. "When I saw my senior, it did feel a bit like looking at a little kitten."

Jin Li muttered to herself; she was a Koi, and cats were her arch-nemesis.

"You don't have to help me carry things next time. I'm not as fragile as you think; I just have poor health, not a lack of strength."

Gu Cheng gave an "Mm" in response. "Alright. I'll consider this a thank-you gift for you letting me use the gym earlier."

Jin Li complained, "What kind of thanks is that? Didn't you say you didn't have time to go?"

A hint of a smile appeared in Gu Cheng's eyes. "Yeah, I didn't have time. It just so happens we both didn't have time. Why didn't I realize back then that you were also in the industry? We were dressed so similarly."

Thinking back now, Jin Li also felt it was strange; she indeed had never thought of it that way.

Perhaps human connections are just like that—missing each other at the right time, only to recognize each other at the wrong time.

Thinking of the awkwardness of their initial recognition, Jin Li couldn't help but smile.

Ji Qinglian and Sui Lingfang had just returned from ordering and were looking for a place to sit. Seeing Gu Cheng helping Jin Li with the noodles, they were both quite grateful.

To be honest, they had also been a bit worried about Jin Li, feeling like she might not be able to carry such a large bowl of noodles.

Ji Qinglian said straightforwardly, "No need to keep running back and forth. Let's sit with you guys from March."

In the entertainment industry, more connections mean more backup plans.

When the situation is appropriate, celebrities do not reject becoming friends with their peers; there aren't that many enemies who must fight to the death the moment they meet.

Goodnight~

(End of Chapter)