Chapter 108.1: VG Advertisement Full Version
Shi Buwen’s post featured a group photo of the nine members taken outside the recording studio. In the photo, each of the nine was dressed in their own clothes—there wasn’t the slightest hint of a “leak” about the group’s special release, aside from revealing the complete group name.
After posting the teaser, Shi Buwen quickly commented on his own post: “Did anyone guess it right?”
— So TG stands for The Galaxy. Wuwuwu, I really am too bad at this—I couldn’t guess it at all!
— Looking at this absolutely beautiful group name, all I can say is, no wonder it was thought up by Demon King Xiu. Just hearing the name is beautiful! He came up with it in under five seconds—I’m dying to know how he did it so fast, and why he chose this name. Will there be a reveal later on?
— All I can say is, the production team is still the same as always—they really know how to keep us hanging. They gave us the explanation for the group name but not the actual meaning. They’re definitely trying to kill us with curiosity! The only thing comforting is that it’s September 8th now—just one more week until we get to see the final product! (flips open calendar and starts tearing off the pages)
— Xiu-baby is still the same Xiu-baby, always calmly strategizing behind the scenes. Just imagining being one of his teammates—having someone as strong as Xiu-baby backing you up must feel so reassuring~
Youth Unstoppable trended multiple times during both its premiere and finale for being different from traditional idol survival shows. The nine-member boy group that debuted from Youth Unstoppable has since carried the high hopes of their fans.
The term “The Galaxy” shooting up the trending charts came as no surprise to group fans and individual fans alike.
While fans were thrilled to finally know the full group name, there were also a few skeptics throwing cold water on the hype.
— Just a group name making it to the trending charts? Must’ve been paid for, right?
— It’s all hot and hyped right now, but who knows—when the group album actually drops, no one might buy it. The ones who’ll be embarrassed then won’t be us~
— Still the same old line—so sour! If your idol’s sales are poor, don’t jinx our TG, okay? To borrow a quote from Immortal Path, “Don’t come clinging around~”
—
Xuan Ji had discussed things with the agent (system) and originally planned to post a hint today that Shen Xiu would soon be playing the role of Li Yang. But upon seeing that the boy group, led by Shen Xiu as captain, had their name trending on the hot search, he decided to delay the official announcement.
On one hand, it was to avoid riding the current wave of hype. On the other, Xuan Ji worried that Immortal Path’s buzz wouldn’t be able to compete with the announcement of the nine-member boy group’s name.
Xuan Yushu overheard Xuan Ji muttering and deliberately asked, “Shen Xiu is the leader of a nine-member boy group, and today’s buzz isn’t exactly explosive but still not low. If you drop your hint now, wouldn’t that just add fuel to the fire?”
Xuan Ji looked up from his tablet with a face that said, ‘You just don’t get it, do you?’
“Dad, you’re thinking too small. I said it’s just a hint—and hints are supposed to be subtle. If I post it now, it won’t stir much discussion, and without more people seeing it, how am I supposed to attract investors?”
Xuan Yushu cut straight to the point: “You’re planning to use Shen Xiu as the ‘face’ to attract investment.”
Exposed, Xuan Ji admitted it frankly and without shame: “Exactly!”
Xuan Ji was confident that Shen Xiu was currently the most popular and talked-about newly debuted artist in the industry. In the entertainment world, traffic equates to money.
He refused to believe no one would invest in Immortal Path.
Thinking about Shen Xiu’s personality, Xuan Yushu said quietly, “Have you actually talked to Shen Xiu about this?”
Xuan Ji replied, “Of course. I’ve already discussed it with Shen Xiu’s agent, and Shen Xiu himself has agreed. Today’s Saturday, the official VG ad will drop on Monday, and on Wednesday at 6 p.m., Shen Xiu will attend a VG brand event. There will be a red carpet segment. At that time, I’ll meet Shen Xiu on the red carpet as the director of Immortal Path.”
“When we meet, I just need to say a few words, and those clever folks will immediately understand why Shen Xiu and I are appearing at the same place.”
“I didn’t expect Shen Xiu to agree either—he’s such a good person!”
Xuan Yushu: “……”
You’re planning to hint at Shen Xiu playing Li Yang at the VG brand event, and he just lets you do it?
Xuan Yushu began to suspect that maybe Shen Xiu knew Xuan Ji was his son, and perhaps because they had worked together on Crossing the Primeval Forest, he was willing to play along as a favor to him.
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
After Xuan Ji finished explaining his plan, he noticed his father’s expression.
“Dad, what kind of expression is that?”
Xuan Yushu’s mouth twitched. “Nothing. Did you ever tell Shen Xiu that I’m your father?”
Xuan Ji shook his head. “Nope. Shen Xiu doesn’t talk much—I never even got the chance.”
“Then no need to tell him. He probably already knows.”
Otherwise, he couldn’t think of any other reason why Shen Xiu would agree to take the role after initially refusing—and even humor Xuan Ji’s schemes.
Xuan Ji didn’t dwell on it. Suddenly remembering something, his expression grew excited.
“Dad, do you know how amazing Shen Xiu is? He’s scheduled out his entire semester. When I saw it, my jaw almost hit the floor. If I didn’t know he was a human being, I’d think he was a robot!”
For someone like Xuan Ji, who does things purely based on mood and dislikes planning, Shen Xiu was like the embodiment of discipline.
Then, as he continued, Xuan Ji mumbled, a bit worried.
“According to his schedule, Shen Xiu has included acting classes for himself, but still… it’s his first time acting, and he’s only just starting to learn now. Will that be too late? Of course, it’s also my first time directing.”
Xuan Ji looked at Xuan Yushu and said seriously, “Dad, do you think the two of us are like the Sleeping Dragon and the Phoenix Chic—just waiting to be mocked together?”
Xuan Yushu responded without hesitation, “It may be your first time directing, yes—but for Shen Xiu, this absolutely isn’t his first time learning to act. Shen Xiu never does anything he’s not confident in. If he agreed to play Li Yang, that means he’s already completed the system’s acting training.”
“Hiring acting coaches or whatever—that’s just to reinforce and polish his skills.”
Xuan Ji: “Really?”
Xuan Yushu: “Of course. No one understands Shen Xiu better than we do!”
Xuan Ji: “…Dad, what’s with that ‘Shen Language’ and ‘Shen Logic’? Since when did you become a Xiuologist, and how come I didn’t know?!”
—
Meanwhile, Shen Xiu had just left the recording studio. Instead of heading home, he bought some fruit and went straight to visit Jiang Jinya’s house.
Before becoming interested in Li Yang’s role, Shen Xiu had never engaged in any acting and naturally didn’t know any acting coaches.
That’s why he had contacted Jiang Jinya and asked her to help him find someone who could teach him acting.
When Aunt Lu saw Shen Xiu walk in carrying a large bag, she let out a surprised, “Oh my, why did you bring so much stuff?”
Shen Xiu followed behind Aunt Lu, placing the fruit carefully on the clean kitchen counter, and replied seriously, “It’s not much.”
The last time he had come with Shi Buwen, Shen Xiu hadn’t known where Shi Buwen was taking him and hadn’t had the chance to prepare a proper gift. This time, he’d bought enough to make up for both visits.
Aunt Lu knew how stubborn Shen Xiu could be. Once he decided something wasn’t “too much,” there was no changing his mind. She sighed, “You child…”
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Jinya came to the stairwell and called down, “Shen Xiu’s here?”
Shen Xiu quickly stepped out of the kitchen. When he looked up and saw Jiang Jinya, he greeted her respectfully: “Hello, Teacher.”
“Come on up—Teacher Sun is already here.”
“Okay!”
Shen Xiu hurried up the stairs, nervously following behind Jiang Jinya, silently running through the dialogue he had practiced earlier on the bus.
As soon as he entered the room, Shen Xiu immediately saw Professor Sun, who was standing in the middle of the room with her back to them.
Hearing footsteps, Sun Yue turned around.
At the first sight of Teacher Sun, Shen Xiu heard Teacher Jiang’s voice: “Shen Xiu, this is Teacher Sun from the Acting Department, whom I invited to teach you. Quickly, greet Teacher Sun.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Xiu nervously blurted out, “Hello, Professor Sun, my name is Shen Xiu. I’ll be in your care from now on.”
He managed to say the whole sentence perfectly in one breath and quietly let out a sigh of relief inside.
Sun Yue looked over the tall, upright young man standing before her—he had an outstanding presence.
Though his expression was calm and reserved, his words were very polite, and there wasn’t the slightest trace of arrogance or disrespect in his eyes.
Sun Yue nodded with satisfaction and replied, “Hello, Shen Xiu.”
After introducing them, Jiang Jinya said, “You two go ahead and start class. I’ll be downstairs. When it’s time for dinner, Aunt Lu will come up and call you.”
Shen Xiu: “Thank you, Teacher.”
Looking at her close friend, Sun Yue smiled and said, “You know I’m strict when I teach. No matter who it is, if someone doesn’t perform well in my class, I’ll criticize them without holding back. Aren’t you going to say a few good words on behalf of your star student?”
Shen Xiu: “!”
Upon hearing that, Shen Xiu tensed up instantly. He had already been nervous—now he was so anxious he didn’t even dare to breathe too hard.
Based on her past teaching experience, Jiang Jinya had full confidence in Shen Xiu. In front of her best friend, she replied with firm certainty: “Be as strict as you want. If there’s anything about Shen Xiu that doesn’t meet your standards, I’ll run a marathon with you this year.”
Sun Yue’s eyes lit up: “It’s a deal!”
“……”
Right now, Shen Xiu had only one thought running through his head—
‘Teacher, can you not drag me into your bragging? I’m really scared!’
He was already nervous—now he was panicking.
Jiang Jinya closed the door, and Sun Yue circled once around Shen Xiu before walking over to the sofa and sitting down. She lowered her head and started sifting through a pile of scripts on the table that she used in class to help students practice acting.
A dozen seconds later, Sun Yue found a script she was satisfied with. Since she had seen it countless times during class, she didn’t even need to flip through it. She said directly, “Scene on page 28, that one’s for you…”
Sun Yue originally planned to give him ten minutes, but considering this was Shen Xiu’s first time learning to act, she decided to show some mercy.
After all, he was the prized protégé of her best friend. It wouldn’t be right to come down too hard on him.
So she changed what she was about to say and instead said, “In twenty minutes, go straight into the performance.”
