Song Wenye was gawking. Since the camera was not going to cut to her in the sea of people, Song Wenye made no secret of slobbering over the new mentor. He was an absolute stud!
Su Ruowan and He Lu were quietly discussing the substitute trainee when their eyes lit up. They were taken aback by the presence of a young man since they were under the impression the mystery mentor would be a reputable and famed old veteran in showbiz.
Dressed in casual leisurewear, the person had some sort of grace and boyishness to his presence. The mask only added a sense of indolent charisma to him.
He Lu was first to open up as she whispered a question to Su Ruowan, “Do you know him?”
Su Ruowan shook her head. “I thought the mentor was acquired from the top managing agency of Country H. Does your uncle know about it?”
He Lu appeared perplexed. “I was about to ask you if Muyan knew about it.”
She and Wanwan were the “royals” in the competition. With her uncle as the deputy head of the TV station, He Lu was guaranteed a debut provided there was no major misstep.
Wanwan’s second oldest brother was Su Muyan, the vocal mentor in the show. Her parents were also famous film stars in the industry. It would come as no surprise if her name was already on the list to debut.
Only seven would be selected to make the final cut. Those miserable wretches in the dark could battle it out for the remaining five spots for all she cared.
This was why He Lu became close with Su Ruowan. Only those of equal status were worthy to be part of her circle. As for the rest, they should take a good look at the mirror.
Su Ruowan’s voice was soft and amiable. “I hadn’t asked Muyan.”
He Lu was proud. “Never mind that. It doesn’t matter who the mystery mentor is anyway. Our talents are enough to win him over.”
It had been a week since they were here. However, the trainees had been practicing their *sses off due to a certain person’s delay in arrival.
She and Wanwan triumphed over those good-for-nothings in terms of dance and vocals that even the mentors could not get enough of.
He Lu had absolute confidence that the new mystery mentor would fall for her and her talent.
The nearby trainees spoke in hushed tones among themselves, but there were also a few who conscientiously kept to themselves. One thing was for sure, all eyes were on the mystery mentor.
With the mask covering half of the mystery mentor’s face, it was not an overstatement to say that he had good looks. In fact, he appeared standoffish, dignified, and unworldly like an angel descending upon the earth.
No sooner had Shen Xi arrived than the other invited guests and mentors followed behind.
The trainees were burning with passion in their eyes as the lot stepped into the room. They were more excited than when the mystery mentor made an appearance.
Even though the mentors had come by once in the past week to meet with them and provide professional guidance, these mentors never showed up together. The group of beautiful faces commanded the room, blinding the trainees with their star-studded presence.
The founder of girl groups and chief producer of the show, Fu Yang, was a member of the hottest boy band. An idol with followers to match, Fu Yang was the main vocalist and dancer of his group. He had the talent, the looks, and the means.
Between the two vocal mentors, Fang Yao was an A-list singer. She was a singer-songwriter, revered by the community for her success. The other was Su Muyan, China’s new generation idol and singer, who appealed to the younger generations.
The dance mentors were Dance King of Asia, China’s superstar He Sumo, and the most sought-after choreographer, Xia Mi. They were famous godlike figures in their rights.
The lineup was no short of greatness and magnificence.
Compared to the strong lineup, Shen Xi may not blend into the background in the presence of these stars, but fame was probably where she was not cutting it.
These people were huge names on top of the entertainment food chain. They were famous and had a large following. All trainees loved them and wanted to be them.
With murmurs growing boisterous, closely acquainted trainees began to whisper excitedly among themselves about the mentors, excluding Shen Xi the mystery mentor, of course.
The way they saw it, Shen Xi was only an insignificant mentor. It was a dumb move on the show’s part to bring in this mentor since it made no difference to the mentor lineup. It was best if Shen Xi was never included.
The trainees might grumble about it, but they were measly participants of the show and had no way of swaying the show’s decisions. Nevertheless, they took Shen Xi lightly, looking down on and disliking her.
The show began its official recording in the afternoon. Presently, they were only getting to know each other. After the host formally introduced the team of mentors, the trainees would get a chance to talk to the mentors.
Following the introduction, the trainees exchanged a glance before following one another’s lead to surround their favorite idol like a hungry pack of wolves.
There were a hundred and one trainees and six mentors, including the invisible Shen Xi. On average, it was a one-mentor-to-twenty-trainees ratio. Since no one wanted to be near Shen Xi, the average rested on the other mentors’ shoulders, adding a lot of pressure on them.
Shen Xi enjoyed the peace and quiet as she watched the group gather around each mentor like a fan meeting. She even stepped aside to give them more space.
The mentors were huge celebrities with years of experience in the industry, accustomed to handling all sorts of situations so this was nothing to them. As a matter of fact, they were completely in their element.
Cosmos’ talents, apart from Song Wenye and Ye Weiyang, went off to their favorite idols. Even Ji Jingyan, the most responsible of the bunch, went looking for Gu Yang.
The five mentors – three men and two women – were blessed with good looks, knocking out their competitors. The entertainment never took too kindly towards those without a pretty face.
Other than Gu Yang, the remaining mentors’ looks barely made the passing mark for Song Wenye who had a high standard for good looks.
She took Shen Xi as a reference for women and Toffeecito’s dad for men. It was to the point where she was no longer juiced up at the sight of the hottest stuff in showbiz, Fu Qingye.
“Who do you like?” Song Wenye asked Ye Weiyang.
In a daze, Ye Weiyang looked around for a while before fixating on Shen Xi.
Song Wenye whispered, “From personal experience, I should tell you that those covering the face, even half of it, are likely hideous. No one would put a mask on a good-looking face!”
Tong Kejun, who was unable to have a moment with her idol due to the chaotic scene, happened to pick up on the conversation. She jokingly made fun of Song Wenye. “Who was the person drooling over him just now?”