Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 3: Entering a large company
As the first large-scale boy group training program in China, "Idol Producer" has attracted widespread attention before it even started airing.

All eyes are focused on Langshi, the recording location of "Idol Producer".

The production team spent several months and expended considerable resources to build a massive studio that could accommodate hundreds of people for filming.

Gu Jingyi arrived at the location in a special car arranged by the company, and then followed the staff's instructions to the recording site.

Entering the "big studio," in addition to the central filming hall, the production crew also set up supporting rooms: conference rooms, waiting rooms, dressing rooms, etc. After the 100 trainees arrived and put their luggage in a dedicated compartment, they were taken to several waiting rooms to wait for interviews with the production crew.

As the male lead of the new hit drama, Gu Jingyi is the most popular contestant in this talent show.

As soon as he arrived, he was taken to a special recording room by the program's screenwriter for an interview.

The separate recording room has a wide view, and the soft touch of the leather sofa beneath him alone demonstrates the importance the program crew places on Gu Jingyi.

Looking up, I saw three cameras positioned in front of the table. However, the staff who were supposed to be nearby were nowhere to be seen.

Just as doubts came to Gu Jingyi's mind, there was a "click" sound from the door.

He was instantly attracted by the unusual movement at the door. He turned around and found that it was the screenwriter sister who came in with an interview card in her hand.

He subconsciously stood up and greeted with a standard business smile.

From the moment they entered the recording studio, everyone was surrounded by countless cameras. The contestants were labeled one by one, and even the slightest careless move could lead to countless interpretations that were unfavorable to the contestants if the production team was intent on manipulating the situation.

Gu Jingyi had experienced South Korean talent shows, so he naturally had a deeper understanding of them. He was even more determined not to give the production team any ulterior motives in terms of etiquette when he set out again.

Being treated so gently and politely by the new and popular star, the screenwriter's cheeks felt a little hot.

Perhaps only those who have met Gu Jingyi offline will understand how superior the face of the boy in front of them is.

The nineteen-year-old was already tall, with broad shoulders and long legs. His features were distinct and delicate, his eyes calm and clear. He possessed a charisma between youth and maturity that drew the eye.

Although she has a strong complexion with a strong visual impact, she looks gentle because of her long eyelashes.

[With such a top-notch appearance without any fat, even if he does nothing, just standing there, he can easily capture a lot of love.]

The screenwriter sister, who has many years of experience in top variety shows, gave such an evaluation of Gu Jingyi at first sight.

Because of the good impression, the editor automatically skipped over some of the overly sharp questions in the script and only asked some milder questions.

"Did Jingyi know anything about our program before coming here?"

Hearing that the other party did not touch upon the key word "withdrawal", Gu Jingyi subconsciously met the eyes of the screenwriter who asked the question.

The rather ordinary face with black-framed glasses gave Gu Jingyi an encouraging smile.

Feeling her kindness, Gu Jingyi smiled politely and praised her in front of the camera.

"So, when it comes time to choose your seat, how do you choose?"

The editor chose the gentlest way to ask the question based on the script prompts.

"Number 5," Gu Jingyi answered without hesitation.

"Huh", the unexpected answer surprised the screenwriter.

"what happened?"

"Nothing, I'm just a little curious. Why did Jingyi, who once created a huge buzz in overseas talent shows, choose such a mediocre number?"

In the draft, seat numbers are also called rankings.

The numbers 1-100 are ranked according to the total number of votes given to the contestants by the audience.

There are only 100 debut spots out of 9 trainees. The number 5 is also on the debut list.

However, Gu Jingyi, who competed in overseas talent shows, has been garnering a huge following since the first public performance thanks to his impressive stage presence. Overnight, he gained seventeen new fan clubs. His ranking has also gradually climbed from seventh place in the first episode, voted for by those who admire his looks, to third place after the first public performance.

After the second public performance, his ranking reached number one for the first time. For a foreigner to achieve such a high score is considered a miracle since the launch of the "Produce" series.

After the third public performance, he showed his youthful masculine charm with the sexy dance song "Please Open It." Gu Jingyi's ranking was directly ranked second.

Such a "big devil" chose seat number 5, which is indeed a bit scary...

"Well... because the number 5 is my lucky number~"

The young man being interviewed was somewhat embarrassed when asked this question. A glint welled up in his eyes, and when he looked up at the camera, his expression was uncharacteristically gentle.

The photographer squatting behind the camera excitedly took a close-up of Gu Jingyi's face. He had a feeling that this would become a classic shot of this season's show!

After completing the routine interview, the screenwriter handed Gu Jingyi a form and walked out.

Gu Jingyi looked down and saw the personal information that each contestant needed to fill out. [Name]: Gu Jingyi

[Height]: 185cm
[Expected Positioning]: All Round
On this positioning issue, Gu Jingyi wrote "All Round" neatly.

Under the cool lighting, the young man in the camera is cold and arrogant. Like a sword just out of its sheath, it dazzles the eyes.

The photographer on the other side of the camera was a little surprised. From the beginning of the recording till now, no trainee dared to write the positioning "All Round".

"All Round" means singing, dancing, rapping, and even writing songs. In South Korea, where the trainee culture is highly developed, "All Round" is similar to "ACE".

He took a deep look at Gu Jingyi. When reviewing the information before, the production team had actually watched the highlights of Gu Jingyi's overseas auditions.

At that time, although Gu Jingyi had an outstanding voice, the program mainly focused on training him as a "Main Dancer".

I hope that this time, his ability will match his ambition.

After filling out the information summary form, Gu Jingyi walked out of the interview room.

Time is running out, and he still has to complete the recording of "seat selection", "1-minute self-introduction", and "first stage".

These tedious processes are similar to his previous experiences in overseas auditions.

The only difference is that when participating in "Produce 202" overseas, Gu Jingyi, who had terminated his contract with YG, participated as a "single trainee".

The first stage of "Produce 202" was broadcasted in two episodes, and he appeared in the first one. However, his "first stage" was cut to only a dozen seconds, and the instructors didn't even give him a chance to retake the test...

Major talent shows charge by the frame for footage, and the initial stage performances are particularly expensive. Solo stages are a privilege reserved for popular contestants and royalty, leaving ordinary trainees like him, with no fame or background, starting with a "sacrifice script" in hand.

Gu Jingyi used his own strength to tear apart the "sacrifice script" and turned the tables from the performance. However, he still couldn't resist reality and his life was stolen by the ticket suppression.

The number "5" ranking on the final night has always been a thorn in his heart that is difficult to remove.

Gu Jingyi, who has lived a new life, chose position "5" before the initial evaluation. He began to look directly at the wounds in his heart, letting the sunshine gradually dispel the haze in his heart.

"Idol Producer" attaches great importance to Gu Jingyi, and even gave him a full five minutes during the rehearsal.

After all, he had the experience of "serving" in Asia's top boy band in his previous life, so Gu Jingyi passed the rehearsal with zero mistakes and high standards in one go.

His outstanding performance put great psychological pressure on the trainees present.

The look they gave Gu Jingyi was a mixture of admiration, envy, and curiosity.

Gu Jingyi ignored all these gazes. He walked off the stage and headed towards the waiting room.

"Brother Jingyi!!"

A slightly childish voice sounded, and Justin, dressed in a suit, greeted Gu Jingyi enthusiastically.

Gu Jingyi looked over and saw that the seven Yuehua people were all wearing the same black suits and black leather shoes. They looked quite star-like, especially since there were two familiar faces among them.

He walked over with a smile and high-fived Huang Minghao. Then he walked over to Zhu Zhengting and bumped fists.

Some trainees off the court began to whisper, and Gu Jingyi could vaguely hear their complaints about himself and Xiao Jia and the others.

[Can you please ban contestants with overseas talent shows from participating? That's not fair at all...]
[That’s right, this is an open-book exam for them!]
[Actually, Yuehua and the others are a bit better. As for Gu Jingyi, he's completely an entertainer. Honestly, it's not a good idea for someone like him who's already debuted to participate in a talent show...]
Gu Jingyi remained expressionless as he heard the contestants' whispers. After greeting them, he sat in the waiting room, waiting to enter. Before leaving, he glanced at the person who had been shouting the loudest.

The man was about 1.9 meters tall and looked fierce and difficult to deal with. There was a name tag on the hem of his performance suit.

[Kunyin Entertainment: Bu Fan]

Gu Jingyi had some impression of this person. He was eliminated because his ranking was on the edge of debuting. Not long after, the news of his reputation collapse broke out.

Since he left the show, there would be no chance of any contact. Gu Jingyi didn't intend to pay attention. In his eyes, Bu Fan was just a grasshopper that would not be able to jump for much longer.

Cai Xukun looked at Gu Jingyi, who had unconsciously become the center of attention, with envy in his eyes.

He also wanted to be like Gu Jingyi, the focus of the crowd wherever he went.

Gu Jingyi didn't know what he was thinking. He was closing his eyes to conserve his energy.

Not long after, the selection officer knocked on the door and came in to signal the trainees that the "entry and seat selection" was about to begin.

Gu Jingyi opened his eyes, and excitement flashed in his eyes.

This talent show, which will completely change the domestic idol landscape, is about to begin.

The difference is that this time he joined the game himself.

(End of this chapter)