TL: Hua
After Lin Yanran finished dealing with the contract matters, the production team of the show Super Idol also notified all the mentors to film some scene clips.
After all, the public performance was approaching, and to enrich the content and highlight the trainees’ hard work, the production team needed to film the mentors’ reactions and praise after the trainees in each group made significant progress through diligent practice.
The recording time was the same as before.
However, before Lin Yanran departed, he received a call from Hong Huixue.
The other party arranged a nanny car for him, saying that it was provided in his personal name.
Lin Yanran and Siyu already had a very strong mutual desire to collaborate, and they were only one step away from signing, so he didn’t refuse.
After filming the variety show for a few days and returning, Lin Yanran noticed that the fan team staking out his doorway seemed to have grown even larger than before.
It had expanded from a small team of three to a group of six, almost catching up with some of the popular contestants on Super Idol.
After greeting his fans, Lin Yanran arrived at the trainees’ practice room.
He hadn’t given any prior notice, nor had the production team disclosed his return to the trainees.
So, when Lin Yanran gently pushed open the practice room door, he saw Qiao Ye standing at the front, staring seriously at everyone and meticulously refining details with each one.
“Xia Xingxing, power.”
“Gao Yu, watch your facial expressions.”
“Lu Tianlang, your hand, raise it higher.”
Qiao Ye was usually a man of few words; this was the first time Lin Yanran had heard him speak so much.
Before he left to film the variety show abroad, he had asked Qiao Ye to take charge and guide everyone, hoping they could all make progress together.
During this time, he had expected Qiao Ye to do a good job.
But he hadn’t expected the other person to do better than he had imagined.
Lin Yanran didn’t make a sound, watching everyone intently through the less than ten-centimeter gap in the door.
Upon his return, he noticed that compared to before, the small flaws that had existed in every member of this team had actually been completely corrected by Qiao Ye.
Every trainee had improved rapidly, and the overall completeness of the stage performance had significantly elevated to a higher level.
“Cai Songquan…”
Just as Qiao Ye was about to prompt Cai Songquan, a strong sixth sense made his gaze fall directly to the corner on the far right.
The person he adored was leaning casually by the door, watching them.
The moment he saw Lin Yanran, Qiao Ye felt an unspeakable surge of excitement in his heart.
It had been five days since they last met.
“Teacher Yanran.”
Through the crowd, Qiao Ye strode towards Lin Yanran.
Hearing the words, the other trainees who were practicing their dance immediately stopped their movements, turned around, and looked in the direction Qiao Ye was heading.
“Wow, Idol, you’re back!!”
“Teacher Yanran, you’re finally back!!”
The trainees were as happy as children in a kindergarten class and immediately surrounded Lin Yanran.
Lin Yanran hadn’t spoken up to avoid disturbing them because he wanted to see the effect of their full run-through.
But who knew that Qiao Ye’s single call of “Teacher Yanran” would completely stop the dance?
Lin Yanran looked up at Qiao Ye, who was standing at the back of the crowd, and found the other person was also looking at him.
“Qiao Ye, you seem to have lost some weight.”
The boy’s face and figure were thinner than before, yet he appeared even more handsome and tall compared to previously.
“It must have been tough leading the team these past few days.”
Qiao Ye’s heart fluttered slightly upon hearing Lin Yanran’s words.
In the days Lin Yanran was away, he had thought carefully many times.
Why, in that single moment, did he develop feelings for him?
He pondered the qualities that others attributed to Lin Yanran:
Nothing more than being handsome, capable, having a good personality, and being hardworking and driven.
But Qiao Ye felt these were not the reasons.
Just now, hearing the two sentences the other person said to him, he finally understood why.
The other person could always touch your heart with a word or an action through small details.
He was like the warm sunshine that streamed through the window that day while he was playing the guitar.
The light was dappled and scattered, yet it was just right.
Lin Yanran noticed so much from just a small detail. Facing his concern, Qiao Ye contained the restlessness in his heart and said faintly, “It’s nothing.”
Then he couldn’t help but look up at the person in front of him and uttered the words he had long wanted to say.
“You’re back.”
It was you, not Teacher Yanran.
Lin Yanran smiled and nodded.
Before he could speak, Xia Xingxing immediately bounced up to him, pointing at his slightly baby-fat face, and said, “Idol, look, have I lost weight too?”
Lin Yanran observed carefully for a few seconds before reluctantly saying, “Looks like you lost a tiny bit.”
He honestly hadn’t really noticed.
Upon hearing the word from his idol, Xia Xingxing immediately made a pouting, wronged complaint: “Brother Ye is so strict; he wouldn’t let me eat if I didn’t practice well.”
Lin Yanran smiled at that. “So how many meals were you punished for?”
Xia Xingxing held up three fingers.
“Three meals? No wonder you only lost a little.”
Xia Xingxing nodded, then immediately realized something was off.
“Wait, something’s wrong? Why does it sound like you’re saying I was punished too little?”
Everyone burst into laughter as Xia Xingxing finally caught on.
Xia Xingxing was naturally the mood-maker. Seeing everyone laugh, he rubbed his head and didn’t say more.
His original intention wasn’t really to complain to Lin Yanran.
After all, although Qiao Ye strictly punished him by forbidding him to eat, during those three meals, the other person hadn’t eaten either, staying with him to correct mistakes until he practiced well, and only then would they go to eat together.
So, despite what he said, he was actually very grateful to Qiao Ye.
The trainees hadn’t seen Lin Yanran for several days and were all incredibly excited.
After stopping to talk with their mentor for a while, everyone started the music again and performed the stage routine they were going to present the day after tomorrow.
After watching, Lin Yanran didn’t point out their mistakes but praised them one by one.
After evaluating the previous nine people, Lin Yanran saved Qiao Ye for last.
He looked at the other person, his eyes full of pleasant surprise.
“Qiao Ye, you were actually the one I was most worried about these past few days.”
“Of course, I wasn’t worried about your skill, but specifically the final shot where you and Ji Shuai collaborate. I remember watching the last run-through with Teacher Gu five days ago, and your expression at that time made me feel you were detached from the stage and your character’s persona.”
Lin Yanran met the other person’s gaze and curved his lips slightly. “But this time I saw that your eyes are very dramatic.”
He finished by giving Qiao Ye a thumbs-up gesture. “The improvement is significant. I’m already looking forward to your performance on the live stage.”
Qiao Ye said nothing, just nodded at Lin Yanran.
He didn’t tell the other person.
Every time they reached that part, all that flashed in his mind was Lin Yanran’s face from that day’s performance.
Pitiful, vulnerable, cunning, obsessive…
All he thought about was him.
…
The short mentor visit ended. After all the mentors had finished filming, the production team called the trainees together to record a game segment.
Today’s segment was called “Cast Your Most Authentic Vote.”
Everyone would be given several questions—serious, lighthearted, funny, and even prank-like—and they had to write down the answers.
Usually, the production team arranged for the mentors to participate in these kinds of small games.
Today was no exception; the four mentors plus the super mentor, Gu Siye, were all taken to a small room together by the production team.
However, the mentors’ recording was different from the trainees’.
The trainees recorded their answers individually, one by one, while the five mentors drew cards and answered simultaneously.
A staff member brought the box filled with questions to the center of the table.
The five people successively reached in to draw a card.
Tangtang and Han Zhe finished drawing first, followed by Pei Luo.
Lin Yanran and Gu Siye stood close together and reached out their hands almost simultaneously.
As a result, their hands accidentally brushed against each other at the opening of the box.
Lin Yanran’s hand was cool. As his hand brushed against the other person’s skin, a warm sensation instantly transferred to his skin.
Lin Yanran paused his motion to pull his hand out, intending to let Gu Siye remove his hand first.
But unexpectedly, the other person made the same gesture.
“You first.”
Hearing Gu Siye’s words, Lin Yanran pulled his hand back and opened his card.
The questions on it were: Who do you think is the visual center? Do you think you can debut?
Lin Yanran picked up his pen, tilted his head slightly, and turned his gaze to Gu Siye, who was writing earnestly.
The man’s features were refined, and his face was handsome; his profile, seen from Lin Yanran’s angle, was absolutely stunning.
Even as a man, he thought the other person was handsome no matter how you looked at him.
Therefore, Lin Yanran wrote down “Gu Siye” on the card without hesitation.
One minute later, the staff member asked everyone to reveal their answers.
The questions Tangtang and Pei Luo drew were identical to Lin Yanran’s.
However, their answers were different.
Tangtang wrote Qin Jun, who was ranked first, as the Visual Center, and Pei Luo wrote Qiao Ye, who was ranked second, as the Visual Center.
After reading Pei Luo’s answer, Tangtang waved her hand. “Aiya, I think Qiao Ye is handsome too. I agonized over it for ages.”
Then she couldn’t wait to look at Han Zhe’s answer.
“Teacher Han, who did you write?”
It turned out Han Zhe’s card was completely different from hers.
The question on Han Zhe’s card was: Who do you think is the Foodie Center?
Han Zhe smiled faintly and pointed to himself. “Me, I can eat the most.”
Tangtang was slightly surprised by this result. “Huh, weren’t we supposed to fill in a trainee? Teacher Han, why did you write yourself?”
Hearing Tangtang’s question, Lin Yanran also turned to the staff member curiously. “Are we only allowed to name trainees?”
Before the staff member could answer, Tangtang sensed something was amiss and quickly trotted over to Lin Yanran.
“Hey, Yanran, if you’re asking that, did you put someone else on your card? Quick, let me see who you wrote.”
She then leaned in front of Lin Yanran, tilting her head to look at his card.
“Hehe, you actually wrote Teacher Gu!”
Accompanied by Tangtang’s penetrating laughter, Lin Yanran, whose answer was now exposed and could no longer be changed, could only laugh and turn the card over.
He showed the name “Gu Siye” to the camera.
Lin Yanran explained, “I didn’t hear the rules clearly and thought I could include the mentors.”
After speaking, he picked up his pen, intending to follow the rules and change the name.
However, before he could start writing, he heard a deep male voice next to him.
“It seems I didn’t hear the rules clearly either.”
Lin Yanran looked in the direction of the voice, only to see Gu Siye elegantly turning over his own card.
Under the question [*Who do you think is the Visual Center?*] on his card, his answer was written as:
Yanran
Seeing that the other person had also written his name, Lin Yanran looked up slightly, met Gu Siye’s beautiful eyes, and exchanged a glance that only they understood.
Lin Yanran: You actually wrote me?
Gu Siye: Who else would I write if not you?
“You two have too much chemistry! Not only did you make the same mistake together, but you even wrote each other’s names! Though I think it’s impossible to compare your visuals…”
Tangtang, who knew nothing of the deeper meaning, pointed at their answers and laughed uncontrollably.
Although both Lin Yanran and Gu Siye filled in the wrong answers, this scene was highly dramatic for the production team. So, the production team didn’t make them change it and decided to keep this segment for editing into the video later.
After recording this mini-game, the mentors’ filming tasks for the day were entirely finished.
Lin Yanran didn’t leave immediately as he usually did; instead, he sought out Gu Siye.
He had a few questions he wanted to consult him about.
Because he became popular abroad for playing the guzheng, seven production crews had approached him since he returned, inviting him to star in roles in their dramas. Furthermore, all of them offered to sign a contract directly without an audition.
These seven crews ranged in size, with the least screen time being a few guest shots and the most offering the role of the third male lead.
However, they were all, without exception, Xianxia dramas.
A few crews showed great sincerity, but because Lin Yanran didn’t know much about the film and television industry or the various production teams and also had no acting experience himself, he wanted to consult Gu Siye—the only person he knew who had acting experience and had won an ‘Actor of the Year’ award.
After listening to Lin Yanran’s account, Gu Siye patiently reviewed the information and synopses of all seven production crews for him.
“The scripts for Demon Subduer and Encountering Immortals are decent. There’s no need to participate in the others.”
Demon Subduer and Encountering Immortals were also the two Lin Yanran felt were relatively the best after reading them.
But then Gu Siye dismissed both of them. “However, as a friend, I suggest you shouldn’t film either of these two dramas.”
He then pointed his long, slender finger at the two crews and explained to Lin Yanran. “The producer of the first one isn’t very clean, and the director of the second one often deviates from the script during filming.”
This implied that neither production crew was particularly reliable.
These were things that a layman and an inexperienced newcomer wouldn’t easily know about.
Lin Yanran had never been exposed to production crews in this world and naturally knew even less.
Gu Siye looked up after speaking, his gaze landing on Lin Yanran’s face. “If you are interested in acting, you can first ask an experienced teacher to coach you in performance and then join a crew when you find a suitable script.”
Lin Yanran felt the same way. After listening to Gu Siye, he thanked him, “Thank you, Brother Gu.”
After settling the serious matter, Lin Yanran and Gu Siye left the building.
As the two were walking side-by-side and reached a corner outside the building, they heard whimpering sounds coming from underneath an air conditioner unit.
Lin Yanran and Gu Siye stopped almost simultaneously, turning to look in the direction of the sound.
Then a small yellow dog crawled out, and after clearly seeing the people in front of it, it completely ignored Gu Siye and carefully walked towards Lin Yanran, wagging its tail.
The puppy walked a few steps, then stopped about one step away from Lin Yanran.
It then lifted its head, looking up at Lin Yanran’s face with its large, dark, pitiful eyes.
“Woof woof woof woof woof woof”
“I just heard a staff member say there’s a yellow stray dog here.”
Hearing Gu Siyue’s words, Lin Yanran looked at the dirty, flat-bellied puppy and preliminarily determined that the stray dog the staff member mentioned was this one.
When Lin Yanran saw the puppy, he suddenly realized that he hadn’t raised a dog for many years.
Because the last time he raised a dog, it made his eyes swell from crying.
That was many years ago. He was usually the type who wouldn’t cry even when he fell or had an injection.
But when he was six years old, after school, he found that the little yellow dog he had raised for a year was lost, and he couldn’t find it no matter how hard he looked. He blamed himself and cried all afternoon out of guilt.
Since then, he had never dared to raise small animals again.
Seeing this stray dog today, especially the pair of dark, shiny big eyes, suddenly reminded him of his lost little yellow dog.
So, he couldn’t help but squat down and talk to the puppy.
“Are you lost and can’t find your way home?”
The little yellow dog also squatted down, mimicking Lin Yanran’s posture, tilting its head and looking at him, eye to eye.
Then it made a motion similar to shaking its head.
Lin Yanran didn’t know if the puppy could understand him, so he asked it again, “Are you hungry?”
The puppy whimpered twice, then nodded.
Lin Yanran looked up at Gu Siyue in surprise. “Its movements are so expressive; it’s like it really understands.”
Of course, he knew it was a coincidence.
The puppy was thin, and its belly was sunken; he didn’t need to ask to know it was definitely hungry.
After speaking, Lin Yanran felt around in his bag, trying to find food for the puppy.
But he found it was empty.
Gu Siyue, who was standing behind him, saw this and handed him a bag of dog food and a dog-specific sausage from his pocket.
Before Lin Yanran could ask, Gu Siyue explained where they came from: “I asked them for it, thinking I’d feed it if I ran into it.”
Lin Yanran took the sausage, tore it open, and joked to Gu Siyue, “Then I’ll borrow a flower to offer to the Buddha[mfn]An idiom meaning to present a gift on someone else’s behalf.[/mfn].”
He held the torn-open sausage out to the puppy at a safe distance.
The puppy took two steps forward, snatched it up, looked up at Lin Yanran a few times, and then slowly began to eat.
Seeing that the puppy was actually eating in front of them, Gu Siyue told Lin Yanran what he had learned about the puppy: “They said it’s very timid. This morning, it wouldn’t come out no matter how they tried to lure it with food.”
Lin Yanran opened the dog food, carefully arranged it for the puppy, and smiled, “Maybe it was too hungry.”
Gu Siyue also smiled, “Or maybe it’s fate between you two.”
Thinking of how the puppy’s eyes were only on Lin Yanran earlier and how it walked towards him step by step despite being so scared of people, Gu Siyue lowered his gaze.
He looked at the puppy, then at Lin Yanran. “It seems to like you very much. Why don’t you give it a name?”
Hearing Gu Siyue’s words, Lin Yanran also looked down at the stray dog a few times.
It was timid and pitiful, but its eyes were very stubborn.
This look reminded him of the little yellow dog he had lost before.
It had the same expression when it looked at him.
Lin Yanran felt that Gu Siyue was somewhat right; it really seemed like fate, and even the puppy’s expression was exactly the same.
So he said, “Let’s call it Ultraman.”
When his grandmother asked five-year-old him to name the puppy back then, he had also chosen this name.
At that time, he thought the puppy’s stubborn and strong eyes resembled Ultraman.
The name Ultraman was indeed very unique. Gu Siyue couldn’t help but laugh after hearing it.
But as he laughed, his mind briefly went blank for a moment.
Ultraman?
Gu Siyue silently repeated the name.
Although this was the first time he had heard Lin Yanran mention it, it seemed as if he had this memory in his mind.
Incredibly familiar.
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