Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 119 Tacit understanding
On May 15th, the Mercedes-Benz Arena had been transformed into a concert venue. It wasn't time for the audience to enter yet, but people were already rehearsing on stage.

Important concerts require more than one rehearsal, and sometimes there are impromptu changes to the stage positioning to achieve the best stage effect.

If you invite some senior artists with high status, there's also the possibility of some improvisation.

The Nine Percent group is now standing on the side of the stage, watching Wang Xinling rehearse on stage.

She was also invited to sing her new song "Big Sleep" at this concert, and will also collaborate with Gu Jingyi on "Heart Attraction".

Nine Percent certainly couldn't invite Wang Xinling, but Gu Jingyi could. After all, Gu Jingyi wrote the new song "Big Sleep" for this "Sweetheart Queen," helping Wang Xinling find the right style for another transformation.

While Wang Xinling was rehearsing on the side, the members of Nine Percent watched and applauded from the side of the stage.

The group chatted and laughed, occasionally pointing at the stage.

Justin, Fan Chengcheng, and a few others stood together with Zhu Zhengting, chatting and laughing. They seem to have a good relationship in private.

Gu Jingyi just went to the stage crew to discuss the stage design and some stage details for his performance.

As I walked over, I saw the three Yuehua members whispering to each other. Wang Linkai was also pulled over by Fan Chengcheng, and the group chatted and laughed together.

Ever since guessing that Gu Jingyi was dating someone, Fan Chengcheng has become noticeably more talkative.

Back in the dorm, Fan Chengcheng immediately revealed that he had been dating "Hidden in the Forest" since his debut.

Wang Linkai, another member of Nine Percent, also has a similar situation; he had a girlfriend before participating in the show.

Although he's not particularly handsome or tall, he's a rapper. No matter what stage he's at, he'll always have girls who like him.

What's more, the person he was dating was a member of a relatively unknown girl group, and the two started communicating by phone during the recording of the show.

He met her backstage at a commercial performance and they hit it off. After exchanging contact information, things started to get a little ambiguous.

We've never met in person; we've communicated entirely by phone.

Wang Linkai had just debuted and knew that the company was very strict about this aspect. He wasn't some privileged upper-class member, and he would never let the company find out.

So he kept it a secret and didn't tell any of his teammates.

He only revealed this to Gu Jingyi after learning from Fan Chengcheng that Gu Jingyi was also one of his kind, even more arrogant than him.

Wang Linkai wasn't afraid of Gu Jingyi reporting him; he had absolutely no chance of competing with Gu Jingyi. They were on completely different levels, both in terms of resources and fashion sense.

Even if Wang Linkai's relationship is discovered by the company, at most they'll give him a stern reprimand and order him to immediately cut off all contact, so that the company won't have to issue a clarification again if he's photographed in the same situation next time.

Not all fans are as easily fooled as Chris Wu's family; they won't believe such ridiculous press releases from "Sister Chris."

Cai Xukun, who was standing to the side, seemed quite interested in the topic of romance. He stood there as if he wanted to say something but then stopped himself.

Gu Jingyi gave him a meaningful look, and Kun Kun walked away as if he had been burned.

This further confirms that Kun Kun is in a relationship, most likely talking or flirting.

Based on his skin condition, Gu Jingyi is more inclined to the first explanation.

Fan Chengcheng noticed that Gu Jingyi had appeared on the side of the stage, and he enthusiastically invited Gu Jingyi to join the chat group as well.

"What were you talking about? I could hear you from far away."

Gu Jingyi glanced at them and spoke calmly.

"They're talking about girls, what else could it be?"

Wang Linkai waved his hand, striking a cool pose.

"Jingyi, do you like sweet girls?" Justin asked, noticing that Gu Jingyi had looked away from Wang Xinling and seemed to misunderstand.

"I don't look at that; I mainly rely on a feeling. If it's there, it's there; if it's not, it's not. Never mind, you wouldn't understand even if I told you now."

Gu Jingyi smiled and dodged the question.

So-called aesthetics prioritizes appearance above all else. Taking a particular genre to its extreme can shatter all aesthetic prejudices.

Just like how Jianzi's "the simpler, the better" style and Tongtong's gentle, domestic beauty clash with Gu Jingyi's mainstream aesthetic, their natural beauty can break through the rules and allow Gu Jingyi to adapt.

"Hello Jingyi, it's been a long time."

Just then, Wang Xinling also stepped down from the stage, and the "Sweetheart Queen" shook hands and exchanged a few pleasantries with Gu Jingyi.

She completely ignored the others at Milk Foam Forest and chatted with Gu Jingyi alone.

The "Sweetheart Queen" of this period also had her pride, as evidenced by her refusal to participate in "Sisters Who Make Waves" after her comeback.

Gu Jingyi is, after all, a renowned "musical prodigy" in the industry, with abundant film, television, and fashion resources. Having a good relationship with him can only bring benefits, not harm.

Taiwanese girls are generally more adept at social skills, and they provided Gu Jingyi with plenty of emotional support during their conversation. Their high emotional intelligence and girlish demeanor are quite endearing.

However, Gu Jingyi had no intention of having a deep conversation with her; he preferred older women, not older aunts.

He wasn't interested in anyone older than Li Yitong.

After Wang Xinling stepped down, it was Nai Pao Sen's turn to rehearse.

The opening dance of the first program, "EiEi," wasn't as synchronized as it was during the competition. However, it was much better than the uneven performance we had at the beginning of the training camp.

The next song was "Indifferent," the only dance track on Gu Jingyi's mini-album. Originally, Century Idol had included a song called "Innovator," incorporating laser dance elements, intending to use it to electrify the audience.

Gu Jingyi frowned after reading it and simply asked Huace to communicate with Century Idol. They bought the one-time performance rights of his new album "Indifferent" from Century Idol, replacing Nine Percent's "Innovator".

Just for performing at one concert, Century Idol earned Gu Jingyi a substantial income. Gu Jingyi also took this opportunity to prove the value of "Indifferent".

The song received polarized reviews on his new album. Some loved it, while others hated it.

That's just how dance music is. Without a stage presence, it can't fully unleash its charm.

It just so happens that during this tour, Gu Jingyi will perform with "eight backup dancers" to prove his worth.

Next up was Gu Jingyi's solo performance, where he sang "Heart Attraction" with Wang Xinling.

Next, each member will perform a solo stage, with Gu Jingyi delivering a real "surprise" as the grand finale.

He wrote a new song, which he will premiere at this concert.

The studio version will be released the following day, and his debut EP, "Lover," will be available online again.

They sell them for 3 yuan each, targeting casual customers.

The second half of the concert consisted of some classic songs from the live performance, such as "I Will Always Remember" and "Mack Daddy," which were used to pad the duration.

After playing some small games in between, the concert will end.

While Shinhwa's concert did break EXO's record, the "elite idol" seemed stingy with stage production. The production cost for a single show was only 800 million, far less than EXO's 3000 million.

Those who support their idols are true fans, and Gu Jingyi couldn't bear to see them being exploited. That's why he added a song, "Lover," as a gift to his fans. "I think it's the law of attraction, finding what you want to say to someone."

"Together, you and I have slowly grown closer."

"..."

Gu Jingyi and Wang Xinling rehearsed "Heart Attraction," and their intertwined gazes created a wonderful performance.

This was actually the first time the two had collaborated, but the sparks that flew between them were wonderful.

"Thank you for your hard work."

"You did a great job, Jingyi, Xinling, the atmosphere between you two was wonderful."

The concert director also came up and praised the two performers on stage for a long time.

Then we got down to business, "Jingyi, is your upcoming solo stage performance of 'Lover' a dance performance? Or will it continue to be mainly ballads, without any solo dance segments?"

Director Wang Ye took a sip of water, opened his notebook, and added another sentence.

"The performance will be mainly lyrical, with some interaction between the performers and the puppets as the song progresses. I won't do a solo dance, but I'll do a short duet. This stage is mainly for the fans to immerse themselves in the music, and showing too much of myself would be overwhelming."

Wang Ye nodded. "The wedding dress design has also been put on the mannequin. Jingyi, your idea is excellent. I can already imagine how excited the fans will be when they see this performance."

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it. I'm just too good to my fans."

Gu Jingyi raised an eyebrow, somewhat boastful.

Wang Ye gave him a thumbs up, then turned to ask the others.

How were the individual stage performances for the other members selected?

"Fan Chengcheng and Zhu Zhengting performed a duet called 'For You.' Apart from the two of them, everyone else performed solo stages."

The manager of Century Idol also came up and discussed the formalities with Wang Ye. He flipped through his notebook and said, "Several of the kids performed their own compositions, like Gu Jingyi and Cai Xukun. Actually, Kunkun has always been very interested in composing. He applied to the company before to include his own songs in the group album in October. However, the company did not approve it due to issues with quality and style."

"This concert will come in handy, and composing our own music will help us connect with our fans. Plus, using it specifically for a concert will create a buzz and make our tour seem high-quality."

Halfway through the conversation, the manager of Century Idol's eyes flickered as she stared at Gu Jingyi. She asked tentatively, "If it's Jingyi, I think his self-composed songs will definitely be included in the group's album by the company. And the quality will be much better than anything the company has on the market, so... do you have any suitable works coming up recently?"

"Yes, we do, but we've handed them all over to Huace. I don't think the company will sell the high-quality songs. I also have plans for a full-length album early next year."

Gu Jingyi spoke very directly, and his meaning was very clear.

"I see," the agent said, somewhat disappointed. Then, his eyes darted around quickly, and he asked with a quick, eager look, "Are there any unfinished tracks? You mean songs that you felt weren't quite good enough, just some mediocre ones accumulating in your personal music library?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingyi couldn't help but chuckle.

What's the difference between this and a cunning person asking, "Do you have any apples that aren't sweet?", when the message "Apples are 10 yuan a pound, or your money back" is followed by a seemingly unrelated question: "Any apples that aren't sweet?"

However, he really had a lot of discarded pieces; those that felt a little off were all abandoned.

"What style of song do you need?" Gu Jingyi was somewhat interested.

"There are no fixed requirements for style. After all, as long as you write it, the quality won't be too bad. Boy group songs don't need to be too perfect. As long as the melody is catchy, that's fine. It would be even better if the lyrics could build more bridges of recognition with the fans, since domestic boy groups are still fan-oriented after all."

After speaking for a while, the manager of Century Idol looked at Gu Jingyi and smiled: "Actually, I think fans are already very satisfied as long as it's a song written by Jingyi. After all, fans always have a filter, and they won't nitpick as long as they can hear your work."

"Compared to the cold, impersonal works that the company collects from outside, Jingyi's songs are much warmer."

"Um……"

Gu Jingyi nodded slightly and took a sip of the herbal tea. He lowered his eyes and began to ponder, quickly finding a suitable song in his memory.

He has quite a few catchy and memorable songs.

Popular songs like "Rashomon," "11," "Everywhere You Are," "Good Thing," and "Goodnight" are really beneath him when he sings them; they're much more suitable for Nine Percent to sing.

These songs are likely to be popular in the future, the only drawback is that the lyrics are not very sophisticated.

"However, when the time comes, the company will post on Weibo or re-record scenes in the group's variety show. These are songs that I found in my trash can, songs that I didn't think were good, the company treasures them like precious gems."

Gu Jingyi thought for a moment and then added.

His future songs will definitely be inspired by Lin Junjie, Xue Zhiqian, Li Ronghao, and Jiao Maiqi. It feels a bit strange that Nai Pao Sen's songs suddenly use these popular songs and are credited as his lyrics and music.

It's like how the conclusion guy went from "I keep refilling my cold coffee while I'm still sober" to "If you don't love me, then forget it. Don't give me a loving hug before you leave. Anyway, it's not like I'm unwanted. If you still want to lean on my pecs..."

The quality of the song plummeted like a rollercoaster.

"Jingyi, it's your turn to get your hair and makeup done."

"it is good"

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingyi also headed towards the styling room.

The concert will be held at 7 pm, and the rehearsal will be over by 2 or 3 pm, which is just enough time.

"Jingyi, you look so handsome! I can totally imagine how excited the fans are. You truly are a face genius. If I were ten years younger, I would definitely fall for you."

The stylist is the one who often styles Gu Jingyi.

Because of his excellent skills and the fact that he was an old acquaintance, Gu Jingyi directly introduced him to Huace, where he was put in charge of serving him alone.

At that moment, she was looking at the handsome man with slightly pursed lips in the mirror with shining eyes, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Oh really? Am I only this handsome this time?"

Gu Jingyi wasn't embarrassed at all; instead, he took the initiative to make a joke.

Of course he could tell the stylist was joking; if he really couldn't distinguish personal feelings, he wouldn't have let her keep doing his makeup.

"Haha, no. Jingyi is handsome no matter what, it's just that this look really suits you today. I wonder how many girls will be head over heels for you after tonight's concert."

The stylist also enjoyed Gu Jingyi's friendly and approachable attitude, and smiled broadly while praising him a few more times.

Gu Jingyi responded with a smile, then stood up and looked at himself in the mirror, nodding in satisfaction.

At this time, he reverted to the silver-gray hair style he had worn during his previous performances, with a brighter color compared to before.

Slightly messy wisps of hair crisscrossed his forehead, exuding a refined sense of languidness. His forehead was faintly visible through the gaps in his hair, and his medium-length hair, not very long, was styled to be fluffy. The ends of his hair on both sides stopped abruptly at his temples, fully revealing Gu Jingyi's well-defined jawline.

To complement today's concert, a stronger visual effect will be presented during "No Feeling".

Gu Jingyi's makeup was a little heavier than usual today, making her deep yet delicate features appear more three-dimensional.

Combined with Gu Jingyi's own characteristics and temperament, the two styles blend together to create a unique charm that is captivating.

Without a doubt, his performance will once again go viral today.

(End of this chapter)