Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, starting with the strategy of 95 flowers to counterattack

Chapter 224 The Undercurrents in the Chinese Restaurant and the Lucky Girl (Two-part chapter)
VIP lounge at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport

Yang Chaoyue and Zhang Yifan stood in front of Gu Yang, one with a smug look on her face and the other with a serious expression.

The production team originally did not allow trainees to leave the training base at will, but they made an exception for Gu Yang and approved this farewell.

"President Gu, please go to France with peace of mind!" Yang Chaoyue blinked, her tone sincere. "We will definitely train hard!"

If you ignore the wildly upturned corners of her mouth, this statement might have some credibility.

Gu Yang glanced at her but didn't expose her. He then turned to Zhang Yifan and said, "Class F is only temporary. I hope you can go to Class A soon!"

Zhang Yifan nodded, his fingertips unconsciously twisting the hem of his clothes: "I will try my best, President Gu!"

Yang Chaoyue nodded frantically in agreement, "Yes, yes, we will definitely try our best to be conscientious! President Gu, please go with peace of mind!"

Gu Yang gave a light snort and his gaze fell on her: "Yang Chaoyue."

"Here!" She immediately stood up straight, made a small fist with her right hand, tilted her head and raised the "fist" to her temple, shook it at Gu Yang, and even winked playfully.

"While I was gone these past few days, you..."

"I promise I won't slack off! I won't skip work! I won't go to the convenience store!" Yang Chaoyue answered quickly, raising three fingers with great conviction.

Gu Yang gave a half-smile: "That would be best."

Zhang Yifan hesitated for a moment, then spoke softly, "Mr. Gu... may I hug you?"

Yang Chaoyue's eyes widened: "Huh?"

Gu Yang was slightly taken aback, but quickly nodded and opened his arms.

Zhang Yifan stepped forward, gently wrapped her arms around his waist, her forehead almost touching his shoulder, yet maintaining a just-right distance.

Gu Yang patted her back twice, as if to comfort her or to encourage her.

This girl has a really great figure...

When they parted, Zhang Yifan's ear tips were slightly red, but his expression remained calm.

“It’s my turn, it’s my turn!”

Yang Chaoyue couldn't wait to jump over and give him a perfunctory hug. Her arm was loosely placed on Gu Yang's shoulder, but she quickly pulled away, afraid that if she stayed any longer, he would see through her thoughts.

Gu Yang raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He just ruffled her hair and said, "Don't think you can slack off just because I'm gone."

Yang Chaoyue chuckled: "How could that be! Boss, you can go without worry...!"

That vengeful guy is finally gone.

I'm free!
She was so excited she almost laughed out loud.

Watching Gu Yang's figure disappear through the security checkpoint, Yang Chaoyue instantly came to life, spun around on the spot, and even hummed a song: "I'll see you off, a thousand miles away..."

"Don't come back..."

Zhang Yifan looked at her silently: "Are you happy?"

"Of course!" Yang Chaoyue put her hands on her hips. "With President Gu gone, who will care whether I practice extra or not? The production team can't be watching me every day, can they?"

Zhang Yifan hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Yang Chaoyue was still dreaming about her wonderful life: "I want to sleep until I naturally wake up! I want to eat three packs of spicy strips! I want to..."

“President Gu instructed me,” Zhang Yifan calmly interrupted her, “that you must practice for an extra three hours every day.”

Yang Chaoyue's smile froze on her face: "...Huh?"

“He even coordinated with the production team to arrange a separate training room for you,” Zhang Yifan added. “It’s equipped with cameras, and he said they would check it randomly at any time.”

Yang Chaoyue: "..."

Her world collapsed.

"No, no way!" She grabbed Zhang Yifan's shoulders and shook him violently. "You're lying to me, aren't you? How could President Gu be so heartless!"

Zhang Yifan calmly took out his phone and opened the message Gu Yang had just sent: "Watch her practice, don't let her slack off."

The accompanying photo shows a training room with a high-definition camera prominently displayed on the wall, its lens pointing directly at the dance practice area.

Yang Chaoyue's legs went weak, and she collapsed onto the airport carpet, looking up at the sky and sighing, "Gu Yang...you're not human...you have no love!"

Zhang Yifan looked down at her, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips: "Let's go back to training."

"..."

Yang Chaoyue sat on the ground pretending to be dead.

Zhang Yifan bent down, grabbed her arm, and pulled her up: "President Gu said that for every minute of practice missed, an extra hour of punishment will be imposed."

Yang Chaoyue: "..."

Mr. Gu, why don't you come back... at least we can discuss this!
……

A guesthouse in Colmar, France

The production team arranged a typical Alsatian-style loft room for the three girls. The wooden sloping roof skylight let in the soft morning sunlight, and the three single beds were arranged in a "品" shape. The small round table in the middle was piled with skin care products, snacks and several open French crash course manuals.

The suitcase in the corner was half-open, revealing a few clothes that hadn't been hung up yet, and the air was filled with the faint scent of lavender laundry detergent.

Tian Xiwei woke up at 5:30 and was currently doing high knees by the bed, wearing a pink tracksuit and quietly counting the beats: "72, 73, 85, 98,..."

Her bangs were damp with sweat, and her cheeks were flushed from exercise.

Zhou Ye rolled over, wrapped in his down comforter, and groggily opened his eyes. Seeing Tian Xiwei's figure bouncing in the morning light, he couldn't help but throw his pillow at her: "Tian Dabing! It's only six o'clock! Can't you let a person sleep?"

Do you know what time I went to bed last night?

The pillow hit Tian Xiwei precisely on the back of the head.

She stumbled, nearly twisting her ankle, and turned to glare angrily at Zhou Ye: "I call this body management! Unlike some people, who just lie in their rooms and don't move at all..."

“Then I’m thinner than you!” Zhou Ye sat up abruptly, the blanket slipping down to her waist, revealing a nightgown with the words “Leave me alone” printed on it.

Tian Xiwei glanced disdainfully at Zhou Ye's unremarkable appearance, then looked at her own, and proudly raised her head.

"She's thinner than me, practically skin and bones!"

"Hey, what do you mean by that, Tian Dabing!"

"What's wrong, you bald guy? You can't even let people talk about you?"

"Believe it or not, I'll beat you up?"

"I'll only use one hand!"

"Then Jingyi and I will beat you up!"

"I'll still use one hand!"

Zhang Jingyi: "..."

These two clowns argue many times a day, and at first she tried to be a peacemaker.

Once, when she tried to mediate a fight, one of them scolded her for being a "little coal ball" and told her not to meddle, while the other said she was flat-chested too.

I'm so angry...

So now she's too lazy to get involved.

Anyway, they all promised Gu Yang that they would never lay a hand on him.

All they can do is hurl insults at each other.

But she still spoke the truth.

"Xiaotian, what did you eat in the middle of the night last night? Did you eat all the local specialties we bought together?"

"I think I saw you take some food from Zhou Ye's snack bag too."

Tian Xiwei's face immediately turned red: "Zhang Jingyi! Didn't you wear an eye mask to sleep last night?"

“But I’m not deaf.” Zhang Jingyi raised her head, her cool eyes sweeping over her. “The sound of you unpacking the package is louder than Zhou Ye snoring.”

Zhou Ye immediately bristled: "When did I snore?!"

"And Tian Dabing, did you steal my snacks again?"

The group had a chaotic half-hour fight early in the morning, and then Tian Xiwei angrily went to take a shower.

"Sister Zhou," Zhang Jingyi said, closing her copy of "A Brief History of French Cuisine," "who were you video chatting with until 1 a.m. last night?"

"Is it President Gu? It should be him!"

Her eyes were fixed on Zhou Ye, carefully observing her expression.

"It's Yang Chaoyue and Zhang Yifan!" Zhou Ye lay back down in bed, but her voice unconsciously rose. "They participated in 'Produce 101' and encountered difficulties singing..."

Zhang Jingyi squinted: "So they went abroad in the middle of the night to ask for help... to ask you???"

"Yeah, they came to me for vocal techniques!" Zhou Ye beamed. "Who else would they come to if not me?"

"I'm the best singer in our company!"

"Sister Meng is alright, but she's never been on the Spring Festival Gala, right?"

Zhang Jingyi clicked her tongue softly, picked up a bottle of mineral water from the bedside table, took a sip, and said, "This... does President Gu know? You're teaching them to sing, won't that..."

"It's nothing! As artists in the company, we should have the spirit of dedication to the company. It's nothing for me to sacrifice my time to help Chaoyue and the others sing."

"You really don't need to tell President Gu..."

"I'll tell you myself..."

Looking at Zhou Ye's arrogant expression, Zhang Jingyi felt inexplicably sad for Yang Chaoyue and Zhang Yifan.

If someone who's out of tune asks someone who's out of tune for advice, isn't that still being out of tune?

……

The three of them finally got themselves together after some playful fighting.

Zhou Ye chose a beige linen dress with a thin brown leather belt around her waist and flat Roman sandals. Her hair was loosely tied up, revealing her slender neck.

Tian Xiwei wore a bright pink sleeveless square-neck dress, a black velvet choker with a gold heart pendant, and her hair was styled in two buns.

Zhang Jingyi maintained her minimalist style, tucking her white shirt into black high-waisted straight-leg pants, which made her legs look incredibly long. The only accessory was a thin silver bracelet on her wrist.

Pushing open the glass door of the restaurant, the wind chimes tinkled crisply. Xiao Yanzi was standing behind the bar wiping wine glasses, Su Youpeng was checking the ingredients in the kitchen, and Shu Qi was sitting by the window leisurely drinking coffee.

"Good morning, Sister Wei!" Zhou Ye was the first to jump in, her voice clear and crisp.

Little Swallow looked up, her eyes lighting up: "Wow, you're all dressed up so beautifully today?"

"Of course!" Zhou Ye twirled around, her skirt fluttering gently. "After all, it's our first day officially participating in business!"

Su Youpeng poked his head out from the kitchen: "You've come at the right time. Help me think of today's special dish..."

"Wait!" Zhou Ye suddenly raised his hand and mysteriously pulled a bulging brown paper bag from his bag. "I have an idea that can help the restaurant increase its revenue!"

Tian Xiwei leaned closer curiously: "What is it?"

Zhou Ye glanced at her and smiled smugly: "Milk tea!"

She dumped the contents of the paper bag onto the bar counter with a splash.

Ceylon black tea, whole milk powder, brown sugar syrup, tapioca pearls, and even a small jar of osmanthus honey.

Zhang Jingyi was completely shocked!

Is Sister Zhou working this hard?

She had personally witnessed Zhou Ye carrying such heavy luggage, his face covered in sweat, and how arduous the journey had been.

That really is a long journey!

She thought it was something valuable, but it turned out to be just raw material?!

This……

“I specially bought these raw materials in China!” Zhou Ye’s eyes sparkled. “We’re sure to make money selling these!”

Shu Qi raised an eyebrow: "You can do it?"

"Of course!" Zhou Ye patted his chest. "I've been studying for a long time!"

Little Swallow became interested: "Shall we give it a try?"

Zhou Ye quickly tied on his apron, took out his phone, opened a milk tea making tutorial video, turned the volume down to the minimum, and hid it in his apron pocket.

"Xiaotian, get me 500ml of water!" she commanded earnestly, but her eyes were secretly glancing at her phone screen. "It needs to be 85 degrees!"

Tian Xiwei, holding the kettle, looked bewildered: "What does 85 degrees mean?"

"It looks like it's about to open but hasn't opened yet!" Zhou Ye raised his voice guiltily, frantically stuffing tea leaves into the filter, resulting in spilling half the table.

Zhang Jingyi silently handed over the filter: "Are you sure you know how to do this?"

"Of course!" Zhou Ye's ears turned red, and his hands trembled as he poured milk into the pot, almost smashing the whole carton in. "I do this all the time at home! The heat was too high!"

The liquid in the saucepan suddenly boiled, and white foam surged over the edge of the pot.

Zhou Ye screamed and jumped backward, knocking over the candy jar.

The glistening sugar crystals covered the countertop like tiny snowflakes.

"Chef Zhou," Shu Qi said, leaning against the bar and suppressing a laugh, "are you sure this is milk tea and not a biological weapon?"

Little Swallow quickly came to the rescue: "How about I do it..."

"No need!" Zhou Ye hurriedly salvaged the situation, stealing a glance at Tian Xiwei who was secretly eating brown sugar pearls. "This is a special version!"

Her hands trembled as she poured the caramel-colored milk tea into the glass, then her eyes suddenly lit up: "Weiwei~"

Her voice was so sweet it could drip honey, "This cup was made especially for you, with double the pearls~"

Tian Xiwei immediately leaned closer, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling: "Really?"

"Of course!" Zhou Ye pushed the cup over, his face full of sincerity. "Knowing you like sweet drinks, I specially adjusted the recipe."

Zhang Jingyi looked at the thick layer of syrup that had settled at the bottom of the glass, and hesitated to speak.

"Zhou Ye, you're so kind!" Tian Xiwei picked up the cup, touched, and gulped down three big mouthfuls, milk foam still clinging to the corners of her mouth. "It's so delicious!"

Zhou Ye revealed a smug smile and added another spoonful of condensed milk to the cup: "Drink more if you like, I cooked a whole pot!"

……

A dormitory at a university in China

Lin Xiaoyu sat cross-legged on her small bed in the dormitory, with her laptop in front of her, the screen displaying a countdown from a video platform.

There are three minutes left until the first episode of "Produce Camp 101" airs.

Her phone kept vibrating, and messages were scrolling through her fan group at breakneck speed.

"Gu Yang is a resident mentor for the first time! I'm dead, I'm dead!"

"I heard there's a dark horse contestant this season, someone who's an amazing dancer."

"Ahhh, it's starting! It's starting!"

Lin Xiaoyu adjusted her headphones, her eyes fixed on the screen.

As a longtime fan of Gu Yang, she had been looking forward to the show for a month.

As the opening music began, the barrage of comments exploded, densely covering the entire screen.

"Gu Yang, I'm here!!!"

"I'm watching this show because of Gu Yang!"

"My husband is so handsome!"

Lin Xiaoyu couldn't help but smile.

When the camera panned across the mentors' seats, Gu Yang, dressed in a simple white shirt and black casual pants, stood out as exceptionally refreshing among the glamorous mentors.

He turned his head slightly to talk to Huang Zitao next to him, a faint smile on his lips, and the comments section went wild again.

"Oh my god, that side profile is killer!"

"I'm dead the moment Gu Yang smiled!"

"Help! How can he be so handsome!"

The program officially began with 101 girls in matching uniforms entering the venue one by one.

While watching, Lin Xiaoyu sent a message in the group: "I feel like the level of contestants this season is really high. Several of them have already debuted."

Just then, her phone suddenly started vibrating incessantly. The group chat exploded.

"Look at Weibo's trending topics! Three topics related to 'Produce Camp 101' are already on the list!"

"Sisters, there's a girl named Yang Chaoyue in the trailer the show just released, she's hilarious!"

Lin Xiaoyu switched to Weibo and took a look. The three topics, #ProduceCamp101Premiere#, #MentorGuYang#, and #WhoIsYangChaoyue#, were prominently displayed on the trending search list.

Curious, she clicked on the last topic and discovered it was a clip of contestant interviews released in advance by the production team.

In the video, a girl with a high ponytail and wearing a pink training uniform is speaking to the camera.

Unlike the other contestants' confident or professional self-introductions, this girl named Yang Chaoyue seemed exceptionally genuine.

"My name is Yang Chaoyue, I am 20 years old, and I come from a small village in Yancheng, Jiangxi Province."

Her eyes sparkled as she spoke, her voice slightly accented. "I used to work in a factory and as a restaurant server, but I've never learned to sing or dance. I came to participate in this program because... well... because it includes room and board and I get paid."

Lin Xiaoyu couldn't help but laugh out loud.

This answer was so straightforward, a stark contrast to the standard answers from other contestants who said they "pursued their dreams" or "loved the stage."

Back to the main program, the initial stage evaluations have begun.

Several strong contestants performed in succession, winning unanimous praise from the mentors.

Gu Yang's comments were professional and gentle, and every time he spoke, the live chat would be flooded with comments.

"Gu Yang's comments are so gentle!"

"Professional! No wonder you're an all-around entertainer!"

"The girl he commented on is so lucky~"

Lin Xiaoyu was engrossed in watching until a familiar face appeared on the stage.

It's the girl named Yang Chaoyue from the interview just now.

She stood out from the other well-dressed contestants, dressed simply in a white T-shirt and jeans.

"Hello, mentors, I am Yang Chaoyue." Her voice trembled slightly. "I will be performing 'Curved Eyelashes'."

As the upbeat intro began, Yang Chaoyue's facial expression management system crashed.

She stood in the center of the stage, a stiff smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, looking like a marionette suspended on a fishhook.

"One, two, three, four..." Her lips trembled as she counted the beats to encourage herself. Her heart-shaped hand gestures, drawing circles with her left hand and squares with her right, made her look like a lucky cat that had been electrocuted.

Her pitch was completely off, her sense of rhythm was disastrous, and what was worse was her dance moves, which were as stiff as if she were using this body for the first time.

"Five, six, seven..." He suddenly stopped halfway through the count and frantically started over, "One, two, three, four..."

She turned the kicking motion in the chorus into a zombie jump, her right sneaker "whoosh" flying out, drawing a beautiful parabola in the air, and landing with a thud in front of the judges' seats.

The barrage exploded instantly:

"This level of skill dares to participate in the talent show?"

"Hilarious! Even calisthenics is more standardized than this!"

"His shoes flew off during the jump, the show was amazing!"

However, when faced with her mentor's questions, her answer was remarkably simple and honest.

"To be honest... I know I dance terribly and sing poorly. But..."

She took a deep breath, bent down and picked up the sneaker that had flown off. "But I wanted to try. When I was doing the same thing for twelve hours a day on the factory assembly line, I wondered if there were other possibilities in life."

She hopped on one foot to put on her shoes, and when she looked up, her eyes shone with an amazing light: "I know I'm terrible, but I'll try my best. Really, I learn things very quickly! Last time I worked at the restaurant, I memorized the prices and cooking methods for all the dishes in just three days!"

And on the live chat, the number of doubts is decreasing...

(End of this chapter)