Chapter 46.2: Second Performance (1)
When the audience saw Team Shen Xiu’s synchronized movements, the fans who were taking pictures froze for a moment, question marks filling their minds.
“?”
[???]
Production staff: ?
Other groups’ trainees: “?”
Other groups’ trainees: …This is seriously next level!
They had never seen anyone do finger hearts like this — sweeping from left to right across the entire audience, as if they were terrified of missing even a single corner.
Were they seriously applying fairness principles to making finger hearts?
All anyone could say was: as expected of Shen Xiu!
And then… what kind of monsters were the members of Team Shen Xiu?!
Even this they had to copy??
Wait a minute…
Looking at the audience’s reaction, it seemed like they were actually loving it.
Should… they copy it too?
While some trainees were still hesitating, others — faster to react — had already started sweeping finger hearts from left to right across the stage.
The production staff were utterly bewildered.
“Is this some kind of secret ritual the trainees agreed on in private?”
“I have no idea, but it’s absolutely mind-blowing.”
The audience at the venue — and the viewers in the livestream — were laughing so hard they couldn’t even breathe.
[Whose second performance stage is this hilarious? Oh, it’s Youth Unstoppable. Okay, never mind — this show has always been a little crazy anyway, hahaha.]
[This is pure chaos — absolute chaos! Are they all secret comedians or something? I’m laughing so hard I’m rolling on the floor!]
[I was laughing so hard that my mom thought I had dragged the family’s rooster into my room — she barged in with a broom ready to chase it out. Now she’s sitting next to me with that “confused elder trying to watch a livestream” face, watching the show with me, hahahaha.]
Hearing everyone’s laughter and seeing the unrestrained smiles on the audience’s faces, the trainees finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They were safe!
The audience really did love it!
As expected of Shen Xiu — without saying a word, he had perfectly guessed what the audience would enjoy, and his first move had landed a direct hit on their hearts.
He Ting’s mouth twitched slightly, and he raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.
In all his years hosting shows, he had never seen a scene this bizarre!
Meanwhile, after finishing his round of finger hearts, Shen Xiu noticed that the other trainees were not only doing hearts, but adding all sorts of playful gestures — compared to them, his own moves looked painfully plain.
Seeing this, Shen Xiu grew even more embarrassed.
As expected, he still had so much to learn!
Soon, the ten minutes of “wild cheering time” came to an end.
He Ting’s voice spread through the entire venue via the microphone.
“Happy moments always pass by so quickly, but I believe the next part will be even more wonderful. Dear audience friends, please quiet down for a while.”
The Youth Unstoppable production team was known for being especially accommodating to the audience.
Not only were the tickets cheap, but the seating at the venue was comfortable too.
Plus, they had given everyone the chance to express their excitement and interact with the trainees at the start — so the audience was more than willing to cooperate, and the room gradually fell silent on its own.
Once the venue had quieted down, a figure suddenly walked out from backstage — it was Xue Yi, the one who made trainees nervous and audiences burst into laughter just by showing up.
As a veteran who had been in the industry for many years, Xue Yi carried a calm, easygoing aura no matter the occasion.
Holding the microphone, he greeted the live audience with a warm smile, “Good morning, everyone!”
“Good morning!” the audience responded enthusiastically.
Seeing their passionate reaction, Xue Yi’s smile grew even wider.
He made his way to stand in front of the trainees.
When they saw Xue Yi, the trainees felt their scalps go numb.
Xue Yi said, “You all don’t seem very happy to see me.”
Before the trainees could respond, Xue Yi continued on his own, “Of course, whether you’re happy or not doesn’t matter — because I’m very happy.”
The trainees looked cautious, not daring to reply recklessly, afraid that Teacher Xue might set a trap for them.
The audience burst into laughter.
“As expected, Teacher Xue is still the same — his tongue is still just as sharp.”
“Everyone’s defeated looks are so funny.”
“I have a feeling… before the trainees draw lots for their group battles, the showrunners bringing Teacher Xue out like this must mean there’s something fishy going on again.”
“Trainees in danger! I used to watch the drama through a screen, but now witnessing it live feels so thrilling!”
Amidst the audience’s hushed but excited discussions, Xue Yi finally spoke again.
“Trainees, your training has been so tough that the production team couldn’t bear to disturb you — so there’s a little piece of news we haven’t had a chance to tell you yet.”
The trainees: Oh no. Why do I have such a bad feeling all of a sudden?
The next second, their premonition came true.
Xue Yi said, “During the second evaluation’s practice period, because the audience really wanted to see how you all were doing behind the scenes, and since our production team believes in giving the people what they want, naturally we had to meet their demands.”
“Therefore, the initial practice footage of each group for the second evaluation has already been edited and sent out to our audience.”
“Trainees, hearing this news — are you surprised? Are you happy?”
The trainees: …6.
Good grief, surprised?
The production team should just admit they’re trying to scare them to death. Sure enough, every decision the production makes has its reasons.
Now they finally understood why, when the team leaders were drawing lots, the regular team members also had to get up on stage and stand in formation — this was what they had been waiting for!
It was all just to have them publicly “executed,” wasn’t it!
Watching the camera cranes sweep past them one by one, the trainees had an overwhelming urge to cover the lenses and cry, begging not to be filmed.
Thinking back on their own groups’ performance during the second evaluation practices, the trainees just wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
And to think they had been bragging in front of other groups before, boasting about how well their team’s practice was going.
Ha. Well, now they were screwed — when they were acting tough in front of other groups, the audience in the live broadcast had already seen all their practice footage.
What a disgrace. Truly, utterly humiliating.
The mortified trainees sneakily glanced over at Shen Xiu’s team and saw that, from the captain down to every member, their expressions hadn’t changed at all.
Seeing this, the members of the other groups felt even more pressure.
Damn it — so the only ones who had embarrassed themselves were them!
After Xue Yi finished speaking, the audience in the livestream, through the ultra-clear close-up shots, clearly saw the trainees’ twitching lips and pale faces.
[Hahaha, even through the screen I can feel the trainees’ embarrassment. The production team is so evil, zooming in on their awkward expressions on purpose!]
[Although, isn’t it a bit weird how the production team phrased it? Saying they released the footage because we wanted to see it — damn, the production team really knows how to pass the buck.]
[Turns out, whether it’s the trainees or us viewers, we’re all just tools for the production team’s amusement. How cruel! But why is Shen Xiu’s team so calm? Aren’t they supposed to be the most embarrassed of all?]
[Maybe… this is the result of being tempered by the Demon King Shen.]
“Alright, announcement over. Let me go ahead and wish everyone a smooth and successful second performance! Bye~”
After dropping the bombshell that had the trainees curling their toes in embarrassment, Xue Yi casually said goodbye and breezily walked off the stage, leaving the trainees standing there in complete disarray.
After Xue Yi left, He Ting held back his laughter and said, “The little drama is over. Now, let’s move on to the drawing of lots.”
“Except for the auditing group, the leaders of the other eight groups, please come forward in order from right to left to draw.”
“There are eight envelopes in the box. Each envelope contains a card, and there are four colors total, with two cards of each color. Groups who draw matching colors will face each other in a group battle starting at 2 p.m.”
“Of course, the number and letter on the card indicate the performance order. For example, black, ‘Black 1A,’ means you are the first team in the first round to perform; ‘Black 1B’ means you are the second team in that round.”
The first team on the right was Shen Xiu’s team. As He Ting finished speaking, Shen Xiu stepped forward toward him.
Watching Shen Xiu’s tall figure approach with his usual cold, indifferent expression, He Ting couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable sense of pressure. He sighed inwardly — no matter how many times he saw Shen Xiu like this, it always made him instinctively tense up.
Maybe this was what they called a naturally commanding aura.
When Shen Xiu reached him, He Ting said, “Shen Xiu, please put your hand into the box and draw an envelope.”
“Mm,” Shen Xiu replied lightly, reaching into the black box and quickly pulling out an envelope.
After Shen Xiu drew his lot, He Ting reminded him according to procedure, “Please do not open it yet. Return to your group and wait until all teams have drawn, then we’ll open them together.”
Shen Xiu gave a slight nod. “Mm.”
With that, Shen Xiu turned and walked back to his place, standing properly.
Watching Shen Xiu’s departing figure, He Ting felt the tension in his body ease a little.
Thankfully, the big boss was the quiet type and didn’t make any small talk.
Shen Xiu, now standing properly, let out a quiet sigh. It wasn’t during a singing or dancing performance, so he wasn’t standing so close to others, but he still couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous, afraid that others would ask too many questions. He didn’t dare speak freely.
Luckily, the host was busy and didn’t have time to bother him.
He Ting spoke up: “Song Chengwang, please come forward to draw.”
…
Fifteen minutes later, the drawing process was complete. All the team leaders, except for the ninth group, were holding their envelopes.
He Ting smiled and said, “Now, let’s play a little guessing game. Which two teams do you think will become opponents?”
At these words, the members of the various groups couldn’t help but shift their gazes to the other teams.
The other groups just threw a few glances, but Shen Xiu’s team… their eyes were all locked onto the other seven groups, scanning them one by one, except for the ninth group.
While they observed, they thought: Great, everyone else looks so strong… oh no, could it be true? Is this really the last stage for us like Captain Xiu said?
The more they thought, the more silent the members of Shen Xiu’s team became, and the lower the atmosphere seemed to sink.
The other groups couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy: Wait a minute, it’s just a drawing of lots… why is Shen Xiu’s team, from the captain to the members, giving off such a fierce vibe?
As the captain, Shen Xiu was even more intimidating, his expression indifferent, clearly not even acknowledging the other teams.
As the saying goes, it’s not the strong you fear, but the reckless. Right now, Shen Xiu’s team seemed both powerful and reckless — they definitely didn’t want to provoke them.
In their hearts, the trainees silently prayed, ‘Please don’t let us draw Shen Xiu’s team! Let someone else be the unlucky team to face them!’
After Xue Yi had announced that the training footage would be broadcast early, their mental states had already taken a hit.
If they had to face Shen Xiu’s team too, their mental resilience would definitely crumble.
From the audience came a chorus of impatient voices.
“Come on, hurry up!”
“Speed it up!”
As the trainees anxiously waited and the audience urged them on, He Ting spoke: “It seems everyone’s excited. Well, after the third countdown finishes, I ask that all the team captains tear open the envelopes and pull out the cards inside to show the audience.”
“Three, two, one!”
As He Ting’s voice fell, the eight team captains tore open their envelopes and pulled out their cards.
Shen Xiu looked at the red 4B card in his hand, guilt washing over him in an instant.
His hands were as unlucky as ever — he had drawn a number that didn’t sound very lucky for his team.
4… death?
No, he couldn’t think that way. Superstitions were wrong! He was a staunch materialist!
The final results of the group battles for the second performance quickly appeared on the big screen:
Black 1: Shang Yu’s team A vs Mu Zhenchu’s team B
White 2: Xiang Yueting’s team A vs Zhuang Yi’s team B
Blue 3: Song Chengwang’s team A vs Jiang Yanxi’s team B
Red 4: Ning Sinian’s team A vs Shen Xiu’s team B
The members of Ning Sinian’s team looked at the red card their captain was holding — the exact same red one that Shen Xiu had. Their minds went blank.
It was over. The unlucky team was… them!
Before Ning Sinian’s team could recover from the blow, they heard He Ting’s heavy voice from the stage: “Everyone, after the second performance ends this afternoon, Teacher Xue will announce a cruel, heartless piece of bad news. Please be mentally prepared.”
