VSROWDC Chapter 10

Ji Zeyu stood beside Gu Weicheng and stared at him for a moment, discovering that not only did he have a strong figure, but its outline was smooth and not exaggerated.

Gu Weicheng and Wei Yichen were contestants from the same company. Because Ji Zeyu stirred many troubles for Wei Yichen before, he never had a good impression of Ji Zeyu.

Suddenly, Gu Weicheng heard Ji Zeyu say, “Your muscles are very impressive. Can you teach me how to train them?”

Gu Weicheng was startled; he did not expect the person before him to compliment him. He was usually the cold, handsome type with very few words, but whenever the topic became related to working out, he would become loquacious until people’s heads hurt. Therefore, few in the show dared to talk to him about working out.

Seeing that Ji Zeyu was complimenting him to this extent and with a heartfelt tone, Gu Weicheng immediately started to share his experience: “Working out is like eating; you won’t become fat from just taking one meal…”

Gu Weicheng said a lot, yet he still did not think he said enough at last. He rolled his sleeves, tensed his muscles, and told Ji Zeyu, “What is this called? It’s called bulging biceps but can also be called ‘the boyfriend’s arm.’ Here, I’ll let you feel it…”

On the other side of the gym, Wan Long re-organized his hair, sprayed some water on his face to pretend he had been sweating a lot, and said to the camera that Lu Nanyun was holding, “Hello, everyone, I am Wan Long. Just now, I have completed several groups of bench presses…”

After talking for a while, Wan Long suddenly felt something was wrong. He glanced at Lu Nanyun, who looked quite unhappy, and asked, “Is your camera recording? Why do I feel like it isn’t on?”

Lu Nanyun looked away from a certain someone who was getting a feel at Gu Weicheng’s muscles and said with an indifferent tone, “The camera ran out of battery. I’m not recording anymore.” He then took back his camera and left.

“Hey, why are you like this? I had already been prepared,” Wan Long said in a hurry, “Don’t leave…”

Ji Zeyu glanced at the silhouette that disappeared from the entrance and thought Lu Nanyun certainly hated him. He could not even stand staying in the same gym with him.

During the next few days, Lu Nanyun would wander around with his handheld camera whenever he found time. He acquired enough material for the vlog, but he could not find a chance to get closer to Ji Zeyu.

Excluding Wan Long’s disruptions, Ji Zeyu himself would deliberately avoid him.

After a few times, Lu Nanyun became so upset that he did not even want to record the vlog.

By contrast, Gu Weicheng became Ji Zeyu’s good friend; the duo were inseparable in the gym.

The trio who shared the dormitory with Gu Weicheng were surprised by this.

That day at the dormitory, Bai Shengjie could not help but ask Gu Weicheng, “How did you become good friends with Xiao Ji lately?”

Lu Nanyun and Wei Yichen were also in the room. They remained expressionless, but their movements unnoticeably paused for an instant.

Gu Weicheng scratched his head, “He’s a pretty nice person.”

“Really? But you had said before that you would always oppose him because of Wei Yichen,” Bai Shengjie said, perplexed.

Gu Weicheng hurriedly looked toward and said to Wei Yichen, “Yichen, I definitely am not forgetting what he has done to you before, but everyone makes mistakes. Besides, he hasn’t come looking for trouble lately…”

“You possess the right to make your own friends,” Wei Yichen composedly walked out of the dormitory.

Gu Weicheng hurriedly chased after him out of the dormitory, saying to Wei Yichen in a low voice, “I think Xiao Ji has changed quite a lot lately. Maybe those people on the internet scolded him so harshly that he suddenly repented. After shedding two lines of tears one late evening, he decides to be a new person…”

From Gu Weicheng’s perspective, Ji Zeyu seemed to be someone who had just finished his life behind bars.

“So?” Wei Yichen’s tone was indeterminable.

“You can try to accept him. Find a chance to chat with him because maybe there’s some misunderstanding between you…”

Wei Yichen interrupted him, “I understand.” Then, he walked away without turning back. Gu Weicheng could not picture at all what he was thinking.

Although they were from the same company, Gu Weicheng could not guess what Wei Yichen thought even once.

“He probably got PTSD because of Ji Zeyu,” Gu Weicheng sighed helplessly.

For the next few days, the contestants did not need to rehearse. To enrich their lives, the production crew announced they would host a volleyball match as a privilege for the fans. 

To the contestants, this was a great opportunity. The show randomly distributed them into teams to prevent people from the same company from forming factions.

When Ji Zeyu arrived at the volleyball court and saw the rosters, he felt his world was gradually collapsing.

“Why is Lu Nanyun in the same group as I am?” Ji Zeyu stared at the list, his entire face covered by question marks.

How is this so fucking unfortunate?!

Lu Nanyun, standing not too far away, heard his voice and could not resist raising the corners of his lips. He misinterpreted Ji Zeyu’s shock as a joyful surprise.

Everyone changed into the volleyball uniform distributed by the production crew, which consisted of a light blue t-shirt and shorts.

Ji Zeyu wore a black, golden-edged hair ribbon on his forehead to hold his bangs in place and not block his sight, which made him look bold and heroic.

Although Ji Zeyu was a newbie at volleyball, this was an opportunity for him to display the results from his workout, so he decided that he would perform well later. The only thing he had to keep in mind was to avoid Lu Nanyun.

On the sidelines, Gu Weicheng, who was on the same team as Ji Zeyu, deliberately found Wei Yichen on the bench and told him, “Do you want to switch teams with me?”

“I thought we can’t switch?” Wei Yichen looked at him, confused, “Also, why do you want to switch?”

Gu Weicheng said to him in a low voice, “I want to create an opportunity for you. If you and Xiao Ji become teammates for once, maybe the misunderstanding between you will be resolved. I told the editors, and they said it would be fine.”

Wei Yichen stared at him silently.

“Ah, forget it if you don’t wanna switch.”

“Let’s switch,” Wei Yichen stood up abruptly. His figure seemed tall, and he walked onto the court under Gu Weicheng’s surprised look.

Ji Zeyu furrowed his brows. He felt as if something was wrong.

Why is Wei Yichen here?

Can it be that he’s here for Lu Nanyun?

Are they about to develop their relationship during the match?

The more Ji Zeyu thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. He suddenly began to doubt the purpose of his standing here—he was a volleyball novice, but he was on the same team as the two protagonists…

“Crap,” Ji Zeyu finally figured it out and mumbled in a low voice, “So I’m just here to make them look good.”

One of the contestants in the team on the other side of the net was Tang Zhen.

Tang Zhen was in the process of warming up; he was ready to play a great match. When he saw that Ji Zeyu would be one of his opponents, he could not describe how happy he was. After losing the public performance, he had been continuously humiliated by many. Some people said that he only lost because he was too arrogant.

But Tang Zhen felt that he had been deceived by Ji Zeyu—he knew how to dance but pretended that he could not. How shameful was that!

So Tang Zhen wanted to win the volleyball match against Ji Zeyu and have his revenge more or less.

The whistle blew, and the contest had begun.

Ji Zeyu’s reaction speed and body strength were pretty good. Despite being a volleyball novice, he had no problem following where the ball went. The only thing was that Lu Nanyun and Wei Yichen were the ones who effortlessly and repeatedly blocked off attacks from the opponents. No wonder they were leads in the original novel.

Every time Tang Zhen spiked the ball, he would accurately locate Ji Zeyu, trying to embarrass him. However, Lu Nanyun would suddenly appear like a ghost every time and successfully block off his ball.

The first round ended, and Ji Zeyu’s team won. He pretty much did not even touch the ball.

Of course, I’m here to make the leads look good, thought Ji Zeyu indignantly.

But he observed in the match that Lu Nanyun was very much a team player. Although Lu Nanyun hated him, he would still block off the ball for him every time, and this surprised him.

Ji Zeyu even felt he obtained a sense of safety whenever he saw Lu Nanyun’s figure leap up; it was as if someone had built a wall before him.

“Try to drive Lu Nanyun away, or else I can’t spike,” Tang Zhen wiped away his sweat and said to his teammates. Truthfully, he wanted to distract Lu Nanyun enough so he could not block off the ball for Ji Zeyu.

The second round had started.

Tang Zhen’s team devised a new strategy; everyone focused their attacks on Lu Nanyun.

Although Lu Nanyun could casually receive each ball, he was distracted and could not always pay attention to what was happening with Ji Zeyu.

Tang Zhen stared at Ji Zeyu the entire time. When he finally found the opportunity and Lu Nanyun was very far away from Ji Zeyu, he smashed the ball toward Ji Zeyu.

Because he had not been receiving the ball for a long time, Ji Zeyu had been in the “who cares about what’s going on” state. When he saw the ball flying over, he could not help but widen his eyes.

Tang Zhen’s spike carried fury, obviously targeting Ji Zeyu’s face. The failure from the public performance, the humiliation from everyone else, and losing the match in the previous round all stimulated him. 

Lu Nanyun was shocked. He stretched out his long legs and rushed towards Ji Zeyu, but it had already been too late. 

Like a flash of lightning, a figure rushed forward and held Ji Zeyu in his arms, blocking off the ball with his shoulder. 

The ball’s impact produced a muffled sound.

Ji Zeyu’s mind went blank.

The tall silhouette held him in his arms, and the two fell to the floor together.

In the chaos, the figure turned around quickly, and his back hit the floor hard while Ji Zeyu fell into his solid embrace. 

Everything around went quiet.

Ji Zeyu opened his eyes and saw a pair of dark black eyes and a pretty tear mole at the corner of his right eye.

Nobody would ever imagine that Wei Yichen would be the one to save Ji Zeyu.

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Translated by: Sydney

Edited by: Dora

VSROWDC Chapter 9

Ji Zeyu stared at Yun and asked slowly, “What do you want me to do?”

“You must display charming qualities, including your personal charisma and stage charm,” Yun answered, “which means that you must stabilize a persona in the show that can be favored by many viewers, and you should find a unique style onstage.”

“I can understand the part about having a style onstage,” hesitation flashed through Ji Zeyu’s eyes, “But persona… Do I really need this type of thing?”

Yun said unhurriedly, “Some people went to talent shows for many years and are still tagged as the ‘twice-cooked pork,’ but some people can instantly earn fame as long as they are in front of a camera… Do you know why that is?”

Ji Zeyu suddenly became startled, as if Yun’s words hit his most vulnerable weakness. 

“Capability and good looks are certainly related to a talent show,” Yun said enigmatically, “but in my opinion, the most important thing is still to show charisma, and a persona can help you quickly achieve that.”

Ji Zeyu had participated in many talent shows in his previous life, and he had always thought he could stand out as long as he had the capability, but he had never thought of this aspect.

Yun continued to say, “The company has helped you think of a few personas. The capable black horse; the handsome, strong, and miserable center; the sometimes salty, sometimes sweet little prince… What are you thinking?”

“None of them are me,” Ji Zeyu said without thinking, “Aren’t these personas lies?”

“As long as the production crew has enough material, the editor can provide you a persona,” Yun did not consider it a big deal, “It’s not exactly lying. After all, you share some commonality with each of these personas… Of course, I would not have said the same thing before the first public performance.”

Ji Zeyu shook his head and rejected the offer, “I don’t like any of these personas you mentioned,” he was just a plain cannon-fodder male supporting character.

Yun stared at him for quite a while before succumbing. She said, “You are still as stubborn as before. Since you don’t like it, I can take a step back, but I’m your manager after all, so I have to be responsible for you.”

After a moment of contemplation, Yun looked at Ji Zeyu and said, “How about this? I give you two weeks, and you consider what is it about you that attracts fans. If you can’t find a result after two weeks, then you shall listen to me.”

Ji Zeyu understood that Yun truly did it for his own good. He pursed his lips before nodding to symbolize his agreement. 

“Here’s some advice: try to learn more about your fellow contestants,” Yun said earnestly, “Lu Nanyun looks indifferent all the time, but he still has a group of fans chasing after him; Wei Yichen keeps a low profile, but he has always been the center of attention… These are all some things you should consider.”

After Yun left, Ji Zeyu continued to ponder her words.

He had never considered what was charming about him. In his previous life, Ji Zeyu only knew to immerse himself in dancing and singing every day. He did not have the appearance or background to dare to expect such things as personal charm. 

He was used to being an accompaniment and in the background, and he never knew clearly what was “stage style.” He only knew to try his best to complete his moves.

To put it bluntly, Ji Zeyu no longer dared to express himself because of the impact of reality.

Yun’s words made him start to re-evaluate himself.

While resting in the dormitory, Qi Aodong observed Ji Zeyu’s silence and guessed that he must have been upset because of the comments on the internet.

“What are you thinking about?” Qi Aodong sat down beside Ji Zeyu’s bed and asked casually.

Ji Zeyu stayed quiet for a moment before suddenly asking, “What do you think… is charming about Lu Nanyun?”

After he posed the question, Ji Zeyu stared at the ceiling for quite a moment. When he did not receive a response from Qi Aodong, he could not help but look toward him and realized that his expression was a bit cold.

For the past few days, Qi Aodong had been noticing Ji Zeyu’s changes. He had thought that Ji Zeyu had stopped liking Lu Nanyun, so he did not expect a sudden mention of him. 

“You are thinking about him again?” Qi Aodong’s tone was slightly strange, “Haven’t you stopped trying to pursue him since a long time ago? Are you going for it again?”

Ji Zeyu was frightened by Qi Aodong’s words and hurriedly sat up, denying repeatedly, “I’m not. Why would I be thinking of pursuing him…”

Qi Aodong said aloofly, “I don’t think he’s charming.” His single eyelids, which initially seemed chill, now carried an additional layer of coldness. 

“All right,” Ji Zeyu thought that maybe everyone has different opinions. So he asked again, “Then what do you think is charming about Wei Yichen?”

Qi Aodong’s expression slightly softened, and he replied after a moment, “He and Lu Nanyun both graduated from a prestigious school. His company’s designated persona from him is ‘sunny and handsome engineering God.’ The fans probably prefer this contrasting persona.”

A contrasting persona?

Ji Zeyu said as if he had abruptly realized something, “I understand now!”

“You understand now?” Qi Aodong looked at him with much confusion, “What are you understanding?”

“Nothing,” Ji Zeyu leaped off of his bed excitedly. He suddenly turned his head to look at Qi Aodong, “Aodong, you have very contrasting personalities, too. Most of the time, you are easy-going, but just now, you looked very aloof.”

Qi Aodong was startled. When he pulled himself back to reality, Ji Zeyu had already left the dormitory. After a moment, he could not help but laugh softly, and his expression became very gentle.

Ji Zeyu was unaware that he happened to describe the exact opposite about him.

Ji Zeyu, who assumed he had mastered the key to becoming charming, found a few people he was close to and asked each of them what their impressions of him were.

After the public performance, everyone’s attitude toward Ji Zeyu changed, and he was also a topical figure, so they all replied to his questions sincerely.

The answers varied, but almost everyone mentioned one thing: Ji Zeyu looked like an exquisite boy.

Exquisite boy?

Ji Zeyu fell into deep contemplation: How can an exquisite boy create a contrasting persona?

After a moment, he ran to the bathroom and observed his reflection in the mirror for a while. Suddenly, he felt as if he had discovered the answer…

That evening, his roommates discovered with much shock that Ji Zeyu was wearing a tank top, shorts, and a bag on his back. They asked, “What’s going on, Xiao Ji? What are you up to?”

“I’m going to lift some iron,” Ji Zeyu waved his hand and headed ambitiously to the gym, which the production crew had prepared.

TL’s Note: To “lift iron” is Chinese slang for bodybuilding.

“What?!” The three remaining people in the dormitory were all shocked.

For the next few days, Ji Zeyu would punctually arrive at the gym every day, and he even brought Wan Long with him. 

Since the public performance, Wan Long treated Ji Zeyu like his God, so he was naturally willing to accompany him.

Just after finishing a dance rehearsal that day, Wan Long directly informed the people in his company that he was leaving first.

“What’s up with you these days?” Lu Nanyun furrowed his brows and looked toward Wan Long, “Are you trying to slack off?”

“I’m not slacking off!” Wan Long said, aggrieved, “Xiao Ji wants me to accompany him as he lifts some iron.”

“Huh?” Lu Nanyun was in disbelief, “His figure… still needs to lift iron?” As he said this, he could not help but recall that night’s scene where Ji Zeyu lifted the hem of his shirt.

Wan Long said, confused, “Nan ge, how do you know what his figure looks like…”

“Ahem,” Lu Nanyun interrupted him and looked elsewhere, “Nothing. Take your leave.”

After Wan Long left, Lu Nanyun clearly began to be absentminded. If he recalled correctly, Ji Zeyu did not enjoy working out. Did he…

Did he blacken because there were too many hate comments of his on the internet?

As the thought rose, Lu Nanyun’s mind carried a hint of concern that was unnoticeable even to himself.

After he finished dancing, Lu Nanyun returned to his dormitory and showered.

A staff member from the crew suddenly came to his door and told him, “Lu Nanyun, it’s your turn to record the Shining Vlog this week. Here’s the camera…” 

Shining Vlog is an extra show prepared by the crew, and its purpose is to increase the exposure of these contestants.

Lu Nanyun nodded, taking the handheld camera while drying his hair. He placed the camera on the table and planned on recording tomorrow.

A moment later, Lu Nanyun’s eyes landed on the camera, looking thoughtful. 

Wan Long was in the middle of practicing their moves with Ji Zeyu. The duo seemed out of place here because the other men were all stronger than they were. 

At this time, a familiar silhouette abruptly walked in from the entrance.

Lu Nanyun held the camera, his eyes locking on Wan Long and Ji Zeyu.

He pretended to not have seen Ji Zeyu and directly walked up to Wan Long. He told him, “I want to record a vlog with you. I’m trying to do one with everyone in our company.”

Ji Zeyu’s moves conspicuously froze for an instant.

Wan Long was stunned. He wanted to say “sure” before he suddenly realized another person was beside him.

Wan Long said to Ji Zeyu to avoid embarrassment, “Zeyu, look over there.” He pointed at Gu Weicheng, who was practicing squats in the corner, “Gu Weicheng has an eight-pack. Go and have him teach you.”

Ji Zeyu said quickly, “Really? That’s great. I’ve been looking for someone to teach me.” Then, he threw the dumbbells on the ground and ran away as if left as if he were running away. 

Lu Nanyun’s expression froze.

He initially wanted to see Ji Zeyu’s current state and take this opportunity to extend an olive branch to show he no longer disliked him that much, but he did not expect Wan Long to directly drive Ji Zeyu away. 

“Nan ge,” Wan Long moved closer to Lu Nanyun and said softly, “I know you dislike Xiao Ji, so I sent him away. Don’t you think I really understand you?”

Lu Nanyun fell into a long silence.

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Translated by: Sydney

VSROWDC Chapter 8 Part 2

Can’t believe today (12/15/2023) is actually the fourth anniversary of Vandez Translations!!! So here’s a celebratory release, and there will be possibly another release later today for those of you using EST. C:

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The production crew took a group photo of the trio. Ji Zeyu sat on the center and tallest chair, straightening his posture.

The duo next to Ji Zeyu were both more muscular than he was. He obediently sat in the red velvet chair and seemed like a little prince protected by two knights—noble, handsome, and elegant.

Of course, Ji Zeyu did not want to be the prince, and he did not want to come into contact with any of the two. He immediately leaped off the chair and returned to his teammates after the photo was taken.

“Why don’t you sit longer?” Qi Aodong asked him with a smile.

“It’s a bit hard,” Ji Zeyu lied casually, “My butt hurts.”

The two stood up from the chair, seeing that the first place had already left.

With a profound expression, Wei Yichen looked toward Lu Nanyun and suddenly said, “He seems to be avoiding you.”

Lu Nanyun’s silhouette froze.

“Why? Is he losing interest in you?” Wei Yichen said with a half-smile.

After being momentarily silent, Lu Nanyun replied with another question, “When did you start caring about these things?”

“If Ji Zeyu stops liking you, I will, of course, feel very happy,” Wei Yichen said slowly.

Lu Nanyun was stunned, for he did not understand what Wei Yichen had meant. 

Wei Yichen continued to say, “After all, that guy always gives me trouble because of you, doesn’t he?” There was something subtle in his tone that was hard to detect.

He then raised the corners of his lips and calmly exited.

Lu Nanyun stared at his silhouette for quite a while before following him, expressionless. 

After the performance ended, Ji Zeyu met the ecstatic Yun backstage.

Yun rushed up to hug him, joyfully shouting, “Oh, God. I am still in disbelief. You fucked both Lu Nanyun and Wei Yichen up.”

“…Mind your words,” Ji Zeyu felt she phrased her words weirdly.

To the side, Qi Aodong said obediently, “Yun, did I not do well?”

Yun was stunned for a moment before she immediately let go of Ji Zeyu and hugged Qi Aodong, too, “You both did really well. Aodong was very eye-catching today.”

The other three trainees from Starworld Entertainment’s Class C came over and congratulated Ji Zeyu. They were initially dissatisfied with Ji Zeyu, but tonight, they became utterly convinced by Ji Zeyu’s obtaining the title of “King of Likes.”

On their way back, Yun told Ji Zeyu that his second eldest brother and sister bought him a red velvet, diamond-framed chair, stating that it was a commemoration for his becoming the “King of Likes.” 

Ji Zeyu did not know the truth and felt touched by the love demonstrated by his family. 

After the first public performance ended, the fans left the stadium and started reposting on various platforms. Almost everyone mentioned Ji Zeyu’s unexpected performance, which immediately increased the netizens’ anticipation.

“They must be lying. How can Ji Zeyu become the ‘King of Likes?’”

“How much improvement is a lot? I’m actually excited to watch it now.”

Despite not seeing the comments online, Ji Zeyu could still clearly feel that people around him had changed the way they looked at him. 

Midnight. As Ji Zeyu lay on his bed, he felt that his identity as cannon fodder had changed.

He no longer had to be afraid of being hurt.

With this joy, Ji Zeyu fell asleep.

However, this joy did not last for a day. The next evening, a thunderbolt struck Ji Zeyu directly on his head—something dreadful dawned on him.

The second episode of Shining Future was broadcast, which included the second half of the first round of examination and the theme song evaluation. 

The theme song evaluation… was performed by Ji Zeyu in the original novel. 

Everyone heard the night before that Ji Zeyu became the King of Likes, so they all thought he was an ameliorating dark horse contestant. They all went to watch the second episode with much excitement and became collectively furious. 

“Fuck. If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve thought Ji Zeyu was switching between personalities.”

“Who said that he showed lots of improvement last night? Are you seeing this?”

“King of Likes?! He would only be able to receive that title if he reborn!”

The video went online for only half an hour before Ji Zeyu’s full name quickly got on the hot search leaderboard, casually bringing Xiao Huai, from Class F, with him.

Xiao Huai was a trainee from Xunhua Entertainment. He was of mixed race, bearing good looks. He worked hard; however, his fundamental skills were awful, and the initial audition evaluation placed him in Class D. 

In the theme song evaluation, three people were sorted into each team. Xiao Huai stood next to Ji Zeyu, and since he was never familiar with the dance, he followed Ji Zeyu’s confident yet inaccurate movies. He was led astray and demoted to Class F after the theme song evaluation.

As a result, the netizens’ anger escalated to a higher level. 

“I’m so speechless. At least Xiao Huai tried, so I have nothing against his getting sorted into Class F. But why is Ji Zeyu staying in Class B?”

“The prince of Starworld Entertainment really is amazing. How much money did he bring when he came to this show?”

“Poor Xiao Huai. The half-blood prince got dragged down by this know-nothing garbage.” 

Public opinion continued to ferment, becoming even more intense than when the first episode was released. Starworld Entertainment had to put more effort into managing Ji Zeyu’s public relations and reputation.

Ji Zeyu learned about all of this from a production crew member, and he saw Yun that evening.

Different from what Ji Zeyu had pictured, Yun looked very composed, and she even put on a smile. She brought Ji Zeyu to the corner.

Ji Zeyu said in a low voice, “Yun, I’m fine…”

“I’m not here to reassure you,” Yun raised the corners of her lips, which were as red as flames. Her tone was joyful, “I never used to treat you as a real performing artist—forgive me for saying that. However, now I must admit you are an artist with an infinitely bright future.”

Ji Zeyu was stunned.

“You must have seen a lot on the internet,” Yun continued, “but you don’t need to turn your head around. You still have a lot to do right now.” Her voice was confident.

She was the best manager in Starworld Entertainment and even in the entire entertainment circle.

And Ji Zeyu only realized this just now.

“No matter how bad you are being hated on right now, as long as you do what I tell you to do…” Yun smiled and continued to say under Ji Zeyu’s surprised look, “I promise you will be famous. The kind of fame that only top-notch celebrities have.”

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Translated by: Sydney

Edited by: Alex and Dora

VSROWDC Chapter 8 Part 1

Sorry for such a long wait! We will definitely be updating VSRWODC more often from now on since Dora will soon be on break.

Please let us know if you catch any translation or grammar errors. Enjoy~!

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At this moment, the people sitting on the three chairs were Lu Nanyun, Wei Yichen, and Feng Yan, respectively. All three of them were the best in Class A. 

The entire venue kept a silence that reached almost six seconds before a deafening applause sounded. 

The trio had different expressions. Feng Yan’s eyeballs almost popped out from the shock, and his palms hurt from applauding; Wei Yichen seemed calm, but his eyes had stayed on Ji Zeyu the entire time; Lu Nanyun’s shock carried some confusion as if he still could not believe that the dazzling boy on the stage was Ji Zeyu.

The contestants backstage were already in a frenzy. 

“Oh, shit… Am I dreaming?!”

“Ji Zeyu’s improvement is unreal.”

“Wow, I didn’t know how strong this group is.”

At the side of the stage, Chen He stood still for a long time. Only when the director’s team reminded him did he walk up to Ji Zeyu and his team in a daze. He said with an exaggerated tone, “Your performance was very wonderful, especially Ji Zeyu’s. I did not expect you to have such great potential!”

Ji Zeyu’s chest heaved silently, but his breaths, as he spoke, were very steady, “Thank you, Program Director Chen, for your compliment.”

The instructors at the judges’ table were well aware of each contestant’s capabilities. Excluding Nan Lin, everyone else commented on “Ji Zeyu’s astonishing progress” and praised the group’s cohesion.  

The audience offstage was full of conversation as well.

“I trash-talked Ji Zeyu before because he’s in Class B, but now I feel like… He could totally be in Class A.”

“This group is so strong, especially the center dancer.”

“That was insane!”

Tang Zhen’s group walked onstage. The two teams stood on opposite sides of the stage as the audience began to vote. Although Tang Zhen kept smiling, he had clearly lost his confidence.

The contestants in Group A thought in unison: The aircraft carrying the entire team. How is this fucking logical?! 

But they still had to put approving smiles on their faces.

The audience held their voting devices and began to choose.

Ji Zeyu felt inexplicably anxious.

Bai Shengjie was the youngest. His forehead was sweaty as he stood beside Ji Zeyu, subconsciously grabbing onto his wrist and saying softly, “Captain, I’m so nervous…”

Ji Zeyu patted Bai Shengjie’s shoulders and was about to comfort him before Qi Aodong’s voice came from the other side, “Captain, I’m nervous, too.” His voice trembled ever so slightly.

Ji Zeyu hurriedly turned his head to assure him, “Don’t be nervous. We have tried our very best…”

Qi Aodong inconspicuously moved closer to Ji Zeyu without leaving a trace and softly said, “Mhm.”  

After a moment, Chen He started to announce the results, “We have finished calculating the total number of votes for the two groups from ‘Look At Me Now.’ The winning team is—”

Everyone in the stadium held their breath, and Ji Zeyu subconsciously clenched his fist.

“Congratulations to Group B!”

Followed by Chen He’s words, the screen behind Ji Zeyu and his team lit up. The poster with the team of six appeared on screen, and the boy in the center appeared handsome and eye-catching.

Ji Zeyu exhaled in relief and finally smiled. His teammates were screaming with joy, and Wan Long even hugged Ji Zeyu, shouting, “Holy crap, we won!”

Just three days ago, they had thought there was completely no hope of winning this public performance. Their joy, at this moment, seemed to be even more intense and precious. 

Every member of Group B understood that this success was all due to Ji Zeyu. One by one, they high-fived him until his palms started to hurt. 

The members of Group A put on a forceful smile as they applauded for them. 

Chen He, holding his script card, continued to say, “Now, I will announce this round’s contestant with the most likes…”

Almost every audience held their breath. Ji Zeyu’s performance could hold its own against anyone currently on the throne, and his number of votes would determine who the King of Likes would be tonight.

“He is Group B’s…” Chen He raised the corners of his lips and said the answer slowly, “Ji. Ze. Yu! And his number of votes is—”

Ji Zeyu’s fans felt so anxious that they could not breathe.

The trio on the thrones looked toward Ji Zeyu at the same time.

The contestants backstage widened their eyes, staring at the screen.

“A thousand, four hundred, and…” Chen He said the number digit by digit, “Sixty-seven votes! Congratulations to Ji Zeyu for becoming tonight’s King of Likes with the most votes!”

A roar of applause and cheering erupted from the venue.

And the contestants backstage started collectively clapping, too.

“They are too strong. This is like a battle between the Gods!”

“I had way too much fun watching tonight!”

“Ji Zeyu is too goated…”

Offstage, Ji Zicheng listened to the cheering from the entire audience, and he felt dazed, as if he was dreaming—When did his younger brother learn to dominate the stage and obtain admiration from so many people? It felt so incredible.

Ji Mingyun screamed with the fans: “Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu! Always number one!” She was even crazier than the other female fans.

Jiang Li pressed the shutter button as she quietly wiped the corners of her eyes.

In this world, there was nothing more touching for a fan than seeing, with their own eyes, their idol shine. 

The camera followed Ji Zeyu all the way as he walked towards the throne. The trio stood up on their own while Feng Yan stepped forward to hug Ji Zeyu and sincerely complimented him in his ear, “You dance so handsomely.” 

Ji Zeyu froze for a moment.

He originally wanted to just sit on the throne obediently, but after Feng Yan’s action, he must now interact with the other two, or else haters would definitely exploit this moment after it broadcasts.

The other two obviously had the same thought. 

Wei Yichen raised the corners of his lips, stepped up, and hugged Ji Zeyu lightly. He said softly, “Congratulations,” with a genuine tone.

After hesitating for a moment, Lu Nanyun walked up as well. He was just about to reach out his hands before Ji Zeyu took the initiative and hugged him; his movement was soft and swift, and there was almost no physical contact between them. 

Then, Ji Zeyu stepped back without leaving a trace, raising the corners of his lips slightly. He joyfully sat on the red velvet and golden-framed chair.

Lu Nanyun’s eyes darkened slightly. He could detect Ji Zeyu’s avoidance of him.

According to Lu Nanyun’s impression of Ji Zeyu, was not this kind of physical contact what he had always dreamed of? Why is he not cherishing this opportunity now? 

Is he still playing hard-to-get?

Wei Yichen watched the duo’s interaction, and an ambiguous emotion flashed through his eyes.

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Translated by: Sydney

Edited by: Dora

VSROWDC Chapter 7 Part 2

Last update for today! Hope you enjoy ❤

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The last two groups were about to enter.

Among the two groups of contestants, Ji Zeyu was the well-deserved topical figure. After all, he got onto the top three of the hot search leaderboard after the first episode was broadcast, making him a notoriously famous contestant.

“Yu Bao is about to go on stage,” Ji Mingyun sat upright and fixed the headband on her head. The “Ze” and “Yu” words dazzled brightly.

Ji Zicheng put down his phone and said suddenly, “I’m starting to feel a bit nervous.”

“Don’t worry. Yun told me just now that Yu Bao will not forget his lyrics,” Ji Mingyun said calmly, “To him, this is already a miracle.”

Jiang Li, hearing their words, twitched the corners of her lips.

She really wanted to ask the duo sitting in front of her: Are you really not his haters?!

Tang Zhen’s team was the first to perform. The abilities of their group were very average, and Tang Zhen was the well-deserved center of group A; his performance was very prominent.

The audience, who was initially becoming tired, was immediately excited again, and screams came one after another.

After this group finished their performance, many people present became Tang Zhen’s fans. 

The contestants backstage all agreed that the result had been basically settled already. After all, if Tang Zhen had such a great performance, how could Ji Zeyu’s group win?

When the audience learned that Ji Zeyu was the last to perform, they all sat back and got ready to watch. A contestant who flunked his initial rating round would probably make a bigger fool of himself on such a large stage, right?

With faces portraying various expressions watching, the silhouettes of the six young men appeared at the entrance of the stage. Then, they strode confidently to the center of the stage.

“Hello, everyone. We are Group B of ‘Look At Me Now.’”

They said in unison and bowed towards the audience.

“I am the team captain and center, Ji Zeyu,” the young man in the center raised the corners of his lips slightly, introducing himself with a smile, “I hope that we can make you all focus your attention on us today.”

The camera adequately gave Ji Zeyu a close-up shot. 

Ji Zeyu wore stage makeup today, and the makeup was just right. His skin had a sense of transparency, and his dark amber eyes looked increasingly seductive. His whole appearance seemed somewhere between youthful and mature. No one could resist the urge to take a few extra glances at him. 

When this face showed up on the huge screen upstage, the impact became countless times stronger.

The fans, haters, and neutral observers all inhaled deeply at this moment. They could not help but involuntarily scream. 

“Oh, crap. This is too good-looking. How did he grow up to be like this?”

“Yu Bao! Ah! Look at me, your mother! Ah ah ah!”

“He’s too, too handsome. I cannot breathe! Is this a yan fan’s happiness?”

TL’s Note: A “yan fan” is a person who stans a celebrity because of their appearance.

The six young men had already formed their formation. The lighting dimmed for an instant before suddenly coming on.

The music sounded, and the entire stadium became quiet.

Ji Zeyu, right at this moment, looked up with a confident glow flowing through the bottom of his eyes. Then he slightly swayed his body according to the rhythm, demonstrating every move on stage with ease. 

His moves were accurate, and they were perfect.

Nobody had expected it.

When Ji Zeyu’s voice came through the microphone, his clear and clean timbre was refreshing to everyone. 

“I’m kickin’ the door now.”

“Better get out of my way.”

The young man’s voice was full of tension, making it particularly prominent to the ear among the six of them; at the same time, despite the extremely arduous choreography, his pitch was accurate the entire time.

If Lu Nanyun was a king born for the stage.

Then, when Ji Zeyu appeared at the center of the stage, the audience suddenly felt that—the stage seemed to have been invented for him.

The stage was only a real stage when Ji Zeyu stood there.

“I hope you open your eyes.”

“And take a good look at me now.”

Just as the lyrics described, everyone widened their eyes and focused on Ji Zeyu. They could not look away for even just one moment.

Lu Nanyun sat in the tall, red-velvet golden-framed chair, subconsciously clenching his fingers. His eyes were full of disbelief.

He could not help but feel attracted to the boy onstage, and his eyes followed his every move, blocking, and subtle alter of expression… and everyone else became nothingness.

All of this was telling Lu Nanyun that the boy he had an astonishing glimpse of that night was Ji Zeyu himself.

It was not a hallucination, and nor was it a dream.

In Lu Nanyun’s chest, his heartbeat was incessantly accelerating, like a rabbit running on the grassland.

Ji Zeyu’s performance onstage was much better than that in the practice studio. He had already formed muscle memory, with every movement accurately embedded in the drum beats and rhythm. The other five young men had also formed a tacit understanding with Ji Zeyu in the center, and their movements were extremely neat.

After the performance ended, the young men struck their ending pose, and the videographer gave Ji Zeyu a five-second close-up shot. Afterward, the audience fell into a long silence. Even Chen He had forgotten that he was the host.

The audience looked, stunned, at Ji Zeyu in the center of the stage. They all suspected that they were dreaming—

Was this really the Ji Zeyu they knew?!

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Translated by: Sydney

Edited by: Alex

VSROWDC Chapter 7 Part 1

The piece “Look At Me Now” was scheduled to be performed in the last round, meaning Ji Zeyu’s group would be the last to go onstage. 

Lu Nanyun was to perform in the first round due to the team’s scheduling. 

When the members of this group appeared on the live broadcast’s screen, even Ji Zeyu showed a stunned expression. He had seen many performing artists, but very few in the entertainment circle could look as handsome as Lu Nanyun. 

Lu Nanyun, in the center position, caused deafening screams to break out from the audience when he took the stage. 

He wore black clothes today and combed his hair backward, revealing his good-looking forehead and sharp brows. By merely raising the corners of his lips slightly, he could make several girls’ hearts skip a beat. 

“Oh, God. He is too handsome!”

“He’s way too alpha, he’s way too alpha. I’m going to die…”

“Nan ge! Nan ge! Look at me just once! Ah! Ah ah ah!”

The song Lu Nanyun’s group chose was very rhythmic to dance to. All the members in their group were tall, and each of them had strong, yet not exaggerated muscles. Their choreography was full of masculinity.

Gu Weicheng, one of Lu Nanyun’s roommates, was in this group as well. He was a man who could not appear more masculine, with a strong and tall stature and cool, handsome looks. His body’s strength was displayed fully as he danced.

But even so, as long as Lu Nanyun was onstage, nobody could take their eyes off of him. It was as if he was born to be the king of the stage. 

After the performance ended, cheers and applause lasted for a long time. The judges gave very high opinions in their evaluations—Lu Nanyun’s center was well deserved. The audience could not wait to vote for Lu Nanyun.

Not long after, the other group went onstage and performed as well. They had, obviously, spent much time preparing, but their dancing seemed inferior compared to Lu Nanyun’s group. 

After the two sets of performances ended, the audience had two opportunities to vote: one for their favorite group and one for their favorite dancer. The rule was very fair–as long as one performed well, they could still be a King even if their team lost.

Without surprise, Lu Nanyun’s group won. The top three contestants with the most votes were all in their group. 

And Lu Nanyun himself obtained 1,426 votes, which astonished everyone—there were only 2,000 people in the audience.

As soon as this number was revealed, all the dancers backstage instantly let out exclamations of surprise.

“Oh, crap. He’s too popular! He’s the first one onstage, and his number of votes reached four digits!”

“The people going after him shouldn’t even compete anymore. We should all just take a shower and go to bed…”

Ji Zeyu stared at the screen. Lu Nanyun walked to the tallest chair with a golden frame, bowed toward the audience, and sat down in a composed manner. 

Ji Zeyu suddenly felt stressed. 

This number of votes… truly was intimidating. Almost no votes went to the other contestants.

“Are you nervous?” Qi Aodong took the initiative to sit beside him today. Seeing that Ji Zeyu’s brows furrowed, he could not help but ask, “What are you thinking of?”

Ji Zeyu pursed his lips, then raised the corners of his lips and said, “I’m not nervous.”

As the captain and center dancer, he must assure everyone.

One had to admit that the contestants in this season of Shining Future were all very capable. The subsequent groups’ performances were remarkable as well, and people placing in second and third place were all nervously shifting. Only Lu Nanyun sat motionless.

When Wei Yichen appeared onstage with his teammates, the crowd roared. All the contestants widened their eyes, waiting to see if his number of votes would surpass Lu Nanyun’s. 

To be fair, there was no huge gap between Wei Yichen and Lu Nanyun, as they tied for first place on the popularity leaderboard. In terms of skill, they were on par with each other; both of them could compete for the final center position.

Some audience members said that the highlight of this show was the duo; nobody else could affect their rankings.

Wei Yichen’s group chose a light-hearted pop song as their competing piece. Their costumes and choreography were both very fashionable and handsome.

In private, Wei Yichen was quiet; however, when he performed, even Ji Zeyu’s eyes could not help but focus on him. He had to admit that compared to Lu Nanyun’s sharpness, Wei Yichen seemed gentler and more restrained, but he still had the necessary stage charm. The tear mole at the corner of his eye shone brightly. 

Wei Yichen won without surprise as well, with a shocking 1,407 votes. However, he still could not surpass Lu Nanyun and sat only on the silver-framed chair.

“Wow, not even Wei Yichen could surpass Lu Nanyun?”

“This is like watching Gods battle each other. That number of votes is so scary…”

At this time, someone said, “But since not even Wei Yichen could beat Lu Nanyun, nobody else should be able to surpass him, right?”

The room backstage became silent for a few seconds. An expression of affirmation surfaced on everyone’s complexion.

“I think so, too.”

“Who else has this level of skill?”

“This is so scary. Mom, I want to go home.”

Bai Shengjie suddenly got closer to Ji Zeyu and whispered in his ear, “Captain, I think you are capable. You can challenge them. Make sure to perform well.”

The rest of the team members looked towards Ji Zeyu. After training with him for the past three days, nobody knew Ji Zeyu’s current skills as well as they did. In their view, they believed Ji Zeyu did indeed possess the skills to surpass the winners. 

Tang Zhen’s team sat next to Ji Zeyu and his team. Someone overheard Bai Shengjie’s words and could not help but chuckle. However, due to the presence of cameras, he did not make it too obvious.  

The same person said Bai Shengjie’s words in a low voice, and Tang Zhen could not help but laugh, too. 

“Bai Shengjie must be mocking Ji Zeyu,” Tang Zhen said with certainty, “It sounds like he is speaking ironically.”

Everyone else around them started laughing as well, and a blatantly condescending look flashed through their eyes.

The public performance lasted for a very long time.

Ji Zicheng almost fell asleep as he waited offstage. His brother still had not gone onstage yet, so he sighed and told Ji Mingyun, who sat beside him, “Is this how it feels to be a celebrity’s stan? It’s too tiring,” He was a lazy man, and after such a torment, he almost wanted to die. 

“Deal with it,” Ji Mingyun, by contrast, seemed very composed. When she was younger, she had been a celebrity stan. This torment was not much for her.

Suddenly, Ji Mingyun asked thoughtfully, “How much do you think that golden-framed chair costs?”

“It looks quite cheap,” Ji Zicheng glanced at it and replied, “My assistant’s chair should be more expensive than that.”

“If that’s the case…” Ji Mingyun furrowed her brows and contemplated for a moment, “Then let’s buy Yu Bao one. We can present it to him after this ends to make him happier.”

Ji Zicheng, however, showed a disapproving expression. He said: “Why are we buying it? Can’t he, Xiao Yu, sit on it by winning?”

TL’s Note: “Yu Bao” and “Xiao Yu” are affectionate nicknames.

After a moment, he asked another question, “By the way, what does it take to win it?” He obviously did not even understand the rules. 

“There are 101 contestants. You must place the top three to sit in one of those chairs,” Ji Mingyun answered calmly. 

“Oh, then let’s buy it,” Ji Zicheng took out his phone, “I’ll let my assistant know to buy a diamond-framed one.”

Ji Zeyu’s club president, Jiang Li, sat behind the duo, her expression confused and perplexed.

Was she listening to a conversation between two ordinary people?

Before Ji Zicheng could send a message to his assistant, the third climax of tonight’s performance hit. The entire stadium, once again, erupted in fervorous screams of anticipation.

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Translated by: Sydney

Edited by: Alex

VSROWDC Chapter 6 Part 2

On the day of the first public performance.

The production crew started recording the first public performance after all the dancers had a chance to go through dress rehearsals in separate groups.

The location of the recording was an enormous stadium that could accommodate thousands of people, which demonstrated the show’s financial capabilities.

Outside the venue, the fans arrived one after another. Support signs and flower baskets were delivered to the stadium’s entrance one by one and placed in an orderly manner. 

“Oh, God. I’m so excited. It’s finally time for the first public performance!”

“I cannot breathe as soon as I think of being able to see Yichen in just a moment.”

“Nanyun’s support poster looks so pretty! I want to take a photo with him!”

“Where is Xiao Huai’s fan club? I want to get the merchandise…”

Although the contestants were still preparing backstage, their fans could not hold themselves back any longer. All the fan clubs started to distribute merchandise and other items to their fans. 

Jiang Li was a die-hard fan of Ji Zeyu’s. She used to be a fan only because of Ji Zeyu’s appearance, and she even went to the marketing summit. After the summit ended, she became a fan of Ji Zeyu’s charisma on stage, as if she had become possessed.

Jiang Li’s friends all thought she had become insane. How could Ji Zeyu have any stage charm? 

Jiang Li set up a club for Ji Zeyu out of spite, vowing to change everyone’s rigid impression of Ji Zeyu for the better.

Her club was named “Dazzling Season,” which meant “the season to shine.” Because she came up with a great name and took many pretty photos, she attracted many fans within three days. Everyone affectionately called her “Sister Dazzling,” and Ji Zeyu’s Supporting Club specifically sent her a ticket to the performance.

Carrying a camera on her back, Jiang Li went to the booth of Ji Zeyu’s Support Club and received a support banner and a headband. She blushed, and her heart palpitated upon seeing the cute cartoon figure of Ji Zeyu on the banner. At this moment, she heard someone exclaiming, “The quality of our support items is so high! Doesn’t it cost a lot of money?”

“A mogul gave us a huge amount of money when we were fundraising a few days ago,” a member from the support club said in a low voice, “that mogul told us that we must make Xiao Yu’s support items well.”

Jiang Li could not help but feel ecstatic for Ji Zeyu. Ji Zeyu is blessed to encounter such a rich and devoted fan.

Right at this moment, a luxurious car was parked outside the stadium. A mature woman with a sublime temperament stepped down from the car. Even though she wore a simple T-shirt, jeans, and wide sunglasses, she could not disguise her astonishing aura. She instantly attracted the attention of countless people. 

The woman scanned her surroundings before her eyes locked onto Jiang Li’s headband. She strode over to her and asked, “Young girl, where did you receive your support items?”

“Are-are you a fan of Xiao Yu’s, too?” Jiang Li was startled by her temperament and hurriedly pointed at the booth not too far away, “I, I got them from there…”

The beautiful woman nodded, thanked her, and joyfully went to pick up a full set of support items. She put on her headband and stepped into the venue. 

Then, another slightly high-profile racing car parked next to the stadium. A man wearing a mask stepped down and, once again, attracted everyone’s attention.

The man appeared very tall with perfect body proportions. He was dressed in black, casual attire, and his low profile exuded coldness and dignity. Although he wore a mask, he still made many turn their heads. He also picked up Ji Zeyu’s support items.

Jiang Li could not help but become stunned.

Nowadays, why do fans of celebrities… all have such good looks?

And just like her, they were both here to see Ji Zeyu!

After the duo exited, everyone else at the scene was whispering to one another.

“Those two people are too good-looking. Are they really not celebrities?”

“Those two cars look very expensive as well…”

“Oh, crap. I am here to see celebrities along with such powerful people. Yu Bao is too charming!”

TL’s Note: Yu Bao is just another affectionate nickname that fans came up with for Ji Zeyu. 

At this moment, Ji Zeyu was putting on makeup backstage.

His manager, Yun, suddenly appeared in the dressing room. She enthusiastically greeted Ji Zeyu and Qi Aodong, wishing them a successful public performance.

Then, Yun pulled Ji Zeyu aside and told him in a soft voice, “I heard from Mr. Ji that your second eldest brother and sister are both coming to watch the public performance. Mr. Ji has too many things to take care of lately, so he cannot come. He donated money to your club to demonstrate his support for you. You must be on your best behavior; do not forget your lyrics like you did in the initial rating round.”

Ji Zeyu was startled. 

He did not expect the Ji family to spoil their youngest son this much. Not only did they donate money to his support club, but they even came to watch his performance in person.

One should know that his eldest brother, Ji Zefeng was the boss of Starworld Entertainment; his second eldest brother, Ji Zicheng, was a successful real estate investor; his sister, Ji Mingyun, was the founder of a fashion brand… Their time was much more precious than his!

“Don’t you worry,” Ji Zeyu assured Yun, “I will not forget my lyrics.”

Yun nodded, feeling pleased, “You are showing improvement. Not bad.”

She did not have many expectations for Ji Zeyu, as she only hoped he could complete the performance—though she thought such a task was already very challenging for Ji Zeyu.

Not a lot of time passed until the recording for the public performance officially started. 

“Hello, co-founders of Shining Future. I am your organizer, Chen He, and I will also be tonight’s host,” Chen He was a popular, capable singer in the entertainment industry lately, and many in the stadium were his fans.

After briefly warming up the crowd, Chen He began to introduce the competition’s rules for today. 

All constants will be separated into sixteen groups and will compete in pairs. The viewers would show their approval, and the winning group would receive votes as a reward. The contestant with the highest number of votes would become the King, and there could be three candidates for the King in total. 

“To the right of this stage, there are three chairs,” Chen He continued to explain, “After each battle, the person with the highest number of votes will be qualified to sit on one of these chairs. There are three spots in total, and everyone has the opportunity to be in one of them.”

Spotlights hit the right side of the stage. The three chairs were crafted in the style of medieval thrones, with trims of gold, silver, and copper. Under the light, they appeared regal. 

“After all the battles end, the trio that sits on these chairs will be the three most capable contestants tonight,” Chen He looked towards the audience and put on a mysterious smile, “Who do you think will be the trio?”

The fans offstage began to scream the names of their idols; all kinds of names could be heard. 

The contestants sat in a grand room backstage. As they watched the live broadcast, they were inspired by the fans’ enthusiasm. 

Even Ji Zeyu felt inspired. Long-gone feelings of passion and desire for the stage rose in his mind, similar to what he felt when he first participated in a talent show in his previous life. 

At this moment, not only did Ji Zeyu want to win…

He also wanted to sit on that red-velvet, golden-framed chair that symbolized first place.

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Translated by: Sydney

Edited by: Alex

VSROWDC Chapter 6 Part 1

Not many people knew, but growing up, Lu Nanyun had always indulged in lookism. He was a very severe lookist.

This was all because his mother was a brilliant and attractive dancer. Ever since he was little, he was barraged by high beauty standards and expectations, making him worry about his attire since kindergarten. In fact, he would favor anything that looked pretty.

When Lu Nanyun saw Ji Zeyu for the first time, he was astonished by Ji Zeyu’s looks. 

Unfortunately, after the first glance, Lu Nanyun realized that Ji Zeyu’s soul did not match his appearance; Ji Zeyu was not among the people who could capture his attention. 

In other words, Lu Nanyun never encountered anyone who could make his heart skip a beat. He desired something beyond his high standards of appearance–charisma.

He always felt as if Ji Zeyu lacked the necessary amount of charisma. 

But at this moment, the young man standing under the lights resembled pure art–every detail of him was beautiful. 

The perfect and youthful profile, the Adam’s apple that rolled up and down when he drank, the chest that heaved as he breathed…

And the waist that passed him…

These details caught Lu Nanyun’s eye…

…and “sexy” was the only word he could think of to describe it.

So, Lu Nanyun felt as if he was going insane. 

After Ji Zeyu drank water, he exhaled softly, his muscles relaxing after finishing a dance. The soreness that overwhelmed him made Ji Zeyu deeply understand how his body had never spent so much time dancing. 

At this instant, he heard footsteps coming from the doorway. He looked up but could only see a silhouette that flashed by as it left. 

It seemed to have been… Lu Nanyun?

Ji Zeyu thought he must be overthinking. Lu Nanyun was trying his best to avoid him. Why would he come to watch him dance?

When Ji Zeyu left the practice room and returned to the dormitory, almost all of his roommates had gone to sleep. Only Qi Aodong was studying the music sheets under the dimmed yellow light coming from the lamp. He seemed to be still thinking about their first public performance. 

There was only a little more than a day left before the performance. It was normal to be nervous, Ji Zeyu thought.

When Ji Zeyu came in, Qi Aodong swiftly looked away from the music sheets towards the tall silhouette in the shadows. He quickly got off his bed and raised the lamp so Ji Zeyu could see better.

“You’re still up at this hour?” asked Qi Aodong in a soft voice. Ji Zeyu organized his clothes, preparing to take a shower. “Don’t worry about the public performance. Our group has been doing pretty well in rehearsals,” Zeyu replied.

Qi Aodong nodded and said in a low voice, “I know. You should go to bed early.” Under the warm yellow light, his cold eyes became a little warmer. 

Ji Zeyu felt that Qi Aodong was like his younger brother. Although he was usually expressionless, he always seemed very sensible when doing things. Ji Zeyu could not help but raise the corners of his lips and say to him, “Thank you, Xiao Dong.”

TL’s Note: “Xiao” is a word one adds before a name if they are affectionately calling someone younger than they are.

This was his first time considering Qi Aodong that way, which startled the young man slightly, but then he also started smiling. His smile was light, and happiness filled his eyes. 

Ji Zeyu felt very glad to turn someone, who in the original novel would have exposed his crimes, into a friend. 

Meanwhile.

On the way after leaving the practice room, Lu Nanyun pursed his lips tightly, and his brows furrowed. His mind kept pondering one question: Was he hallucinating just now?

He thought Ji Zeyu was sexy…

How is that even possible? 

Lu Nanyun suddenly realized that his fingers were clenched, and his palms grew sweaty.

Hallucination.

It must have been a hallucination. 

Lu Nanyun lay on his bed after taking a cold shower. He tried to stop himself from thinking about it further. 

Maybe it was due to his self-hypnosis, but when Lu Nanyun woke up the next morning and recalled the scene he observed last night, he could not distinguish between hallucination and reality. 

Perhaps he had been too tired and had a strange dream? 

After all… How could Ji Zeyu be that skilled at dancing?

But Lu Nanyun remembered how the young man had lifted his clothes, a move so realistic that it made him fall into a trance momentarily. 

After a moment, Lu Nanyun asked Bai Shengjie, “Xiao Bai, I’m going to ask you a question.”

Bai Shengjie had just woken up, and his hair was as messy as a fowl’s nest. He rubbed his eyes, trying to open them, and asked, “What?”

Lu Nanyun asked gravely, “Did Ji Zeyu recently improve his dancing significantly?”

Bai Shengjie instantly awakened, and he looked at Lu Nanyun with disbelief: he was asking a question about Ji Zeyu.

After a moment, Bai Shengjie recovered from the shock, stammering, “H-h-he is still the same. There isn’t really any difference.”

Lu Nanyun exhaled in relief.

Of course, it was a dream.

Except… Although it was a dream, he still felt his heart beating when he thought of Ji Zeyu lifting the hem of his shirt.

Lu Nanyun thought that he really must have been exhausted to receive such a dream. He should go to bed earlier tonight.

Bai Shengjie also breathed a sigh of relief.

In the past two days, Ji Zeyu’s dancing ability could only be described as improving by leaps and bounds. Everyone else in the group was shocked by his performance—

What happened to the good-for-nothing who slacked off all the time? What happened to his being a burden as heavy as an aircraft??

However, Ji Zeyu specifically told the group that no matter what, they must keep his progress a secret.

Ji Zeyu attributed his improvement to watching Group A’s dance for “Look At Me Now” that day. Tang Zhen and his teammates performed well, but all of them tended to underestimate their opponents. Keeping them in a state of ignorance would make it much easier to win.

So when Lu Nanyun asked about Ji Zeyu’s dancing ability, Bai Shengjie was surprised, but he acted according to Ji Zeyu’s wishes and hid the truth. 

There were twenty-four hours left until the first public performance.

After watching Group B’s performance, dancing instructor Nan Lin was so astonished that she remained slack-jawed for quite some time.

After a while, still stunned, she looked at Ji Zeyu and asked in disbelief, “Ji Zeyu… Are you really Ji Zeyu?”

“Of course,” Ji Zeyu gave a confident and handsome smile, “Is there any part of me that looks different?”

“Every part of you is different!” Nan Lin felt that she was dreaming, “How did you improve so fast?!”

Ji Zeyu thought for a moment and said, “This way, my teammates can spend less effort trying to drag me, an aircraft, onto the shore.”

Nan Lin was stunned. She wanted to say that, with Ji Zeyu’s current dancing skills, he could easily drag his five teammates onto the shore. 

Although she did not understand how Ji Zeyu could improve so quickly, she had a hunch… that after the first public performance, the current leaderboard would change significantly.

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Translated by: Sydney

Edited by: Kathrien & Alex

VSROWDC Chapter 4 Part 1

The production crew gave every group their own practice rooms. When Ji Zeyu and Qi Aodong arrived, the other four team members were already practicing in front of the mirrors on the wall.

When Ji Zeyu entered, the air seemed to freeze for a second. Then, everyone acted as if they didn’t see him and carried on with their practices.

Their song choice was “Look At Me Now,” a very melodic song full of fast-paced rhythms. The choreography was complex and it was one of the hardest songs in this first public performance.

In the original, the group against them was very strong, and they received a large number of followers after their amazing performance.

The dance instructor was named Nan Lin, and she was a fairly popular dancer in the circle. She glanced at Ji Zeyu and said to everyone: “Alright, now that everyone is here, let’s go through it together first.”

Everyone stood in their formations, but the center spot was missing. Suddenly, everyone looked towards Ji Zeyu.

That someone, who was now the center of all attention, carefully raised his hand, like a student who made a mistake in class, and he said to the teacher: “Um, teacher, can I watch the dance video a few more times? Just let them practice first…”

Ji Zeyu felt that after he transmigrated to this world, he became more and more shameless; however, who could blame him? He had just learned about his first live performance song two minutes ago from Qi Aodong.

Nan Lin sighed helplessly. She seemed to want to say something, but she held it back and said in the end, “All right, Xiao Ji, you can go to that corner and watch the video.”

The other five members weren’t too bothered by this. They automatically ignored Ji Zeyu and started to practice.

Ji Zeyu let out a sigh of relief. The film crew prepared computers for them, so he sat in the corner, put on his headphones, and started to learn the dance.

After a few watch-throughs, Ji Zeyu had a rough idea of the whole dance choreography. The difficulty was indeed hard, not to mention that they had to sing along with the dancing. No wonder the original novel said that Ji Zeyu just “focused on participation”, for with his skills, he couldn’t win even if he had wanted to.

Nan Lin had the rest of the team practice for a while, then left for the group next door. Before she left, she looked at Ji Zeyu and shook her head slightly. She had lost all hope for this group.

In her eyes, Ji Zeyu’s team winning against the group next door was an impossible dream.

Ji Zeyu was someone who participated in lots of other talent shows. After he watched the video a few times, he thought that the song choice was actually great. It fits his current situation, the choreography was unique, and it was quite melodic. If they practiced enough, this performance would not only wow the audience, but it would also save his ruined reputation.

TL Note: This “Ji Zeyu” is referring to Ji Zeyu in his past life.

When he confidently stood up to practice, he was shook by his sight – After the teacher left, everyone lost their spirit. They were either sitting on the floor, sighing, or lying on the floor, daydreaming. Negativity filled the entire practice room.

In this group, except for Ji Zeyu and Qi Aodong, who were from Class B, there was also Wan Long, another Class B student, a guy called Bai Shengjie from Class A, and two students from Class C.

Ji Zeyu asked: “Who’s the team captain again?”

Afterwards, everyone’s silent but helpless eyes told Ji Zeyu — he himself was the team captain.

“Oh, wow, what a coincidence that it’s me,” Ji Zeyu continued shamelessly, “Then, as the captain, I advise all of you to: practice again.”

Wan Long had always thought that it was his bad luck that brought him into this group, and he said tiredly: “Captain, the five of us have practiced lots of times. How about you practice by yourself for a while.”

If it weren’t for all the microphones clipped on every member’s collar, Ji Zeyu bet that Wan Long would blurt out: “How dare you still call yourself captain?” or something along that line.

Everyone else had the same attitude.

Ji Zeyu cleared his throat and said: “I want to blend in with everyone, so let me join you guys, and let’s practice again.”

Everyone suddenly sat up straight.

Qi Aodong said, suspicious of Ji Zeyu: “You know the moves already?”

Everyone looked at him unbelievably.

“I memorized the formations.” Ji Zeyu skillfully avoided the topic, “However, regardless if I know the dance, just know that I definitely won’t be affecting the rest of you.”

Everyone exchanged looks, then finally agreed to Ji Zeyu’s request.

There was no other choice; he was the most popular candidate, and he was the center role.

After everyone got into their formation, they were surprised to find out that Ji Zeyu really wasn’t lying. He accurately found his position, and as the music sounded, he also accurately walked to every position.

Ji Zeyu’s eyes stared at the mirror. His gaze became sharp and determined, and it was as if his entire person had changed.

However, it was inconspicuous that he didn’t actually learn the moves. Even though his positioning was correct, his movements were just fillers, and he was just lip-syncing with everyone else.

After the practice, Bai Shengjie was silent for a moment before saying to Ji Zeyu: “Captain, your positioning has improved a lot, but… your dancing and singing still need some work.”

Everyone nodded in silence.

“Thank you, Xiao Bo, for your encouragement,” Ji Zeyu smiled slightly, “Now, let’s sit down and have a serious chat.”

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Translator: Puppxteer/Yutong

Editor: Sydney

VSROWDC Chapter 3 Part 2

Special thanks to Michael, our new editor!

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After Lu Nanyun sat down in his seat on the bus, everyone automatically stayed far away from him. Even his sidekick, Wan Long, intentionally sat on the spot behind him.

There was no other reason; every single time Ji Zeyu sat on this kind of bus, he would forcefully sit next to Lu Nanyun. If anyone stopped him from doing so, he would throw a tantrum and make everyone feel awkward.

Therefore, everyone, by default, thought that the seat beside Lu Nanyun would be reserved by Ji Zeyu. This was also the reason why there was an empty seat next to Lu Nanyun at the marketing summit.

Lu Nanyun slightly frowned. The scene in front of him made a strong resentment towards Ji Zeyu rise once again in his heart. 

Right at this moment, Ji Zeyu, with his black satchel, came on the bus languidly. Qi Aodong followed him.

“Nan ge, he’s here,” Wan Long whispered behind Lu Nanyun, “You should hope that the worst-case scenario won’t happen.”

TL’s Note: “Ge” means “brother” and is usually an affectionate name or how people call someone they are close to.

“Shut up,” Lu Nanyun said with hostility.

Ji Zeyu glanced around, estimating the distance between each seat and which spot would be far away from both of the leads at the same time.

After a few seconds, under everyone’s watch, Ji Zeyu walked past Lu Nanyun without a single hint of wavering and walked straight to the seat beside the windows. 

Lu Nanyun, who was ignored, was stunned for a second. 

Qi Aodong stared at him, shocked: “You…” He wanted to ask Ji Zeyu why he didn’t sit next to Lu Nanyun.

“Sit next to me,” Ji Zeyu grabbed Qi Aodong’s arm and pulled him next to him.

When Qi Aodong came back to reality, he was already sitting next to Ji Zeyu.

He was just about to say something when Ji Zeyu suddenly took out two bottles of water, handing one to him.

Qi Aodong obediently took it over and thanked Ji Zeyu.

Ji Zeyu took this to his advantage and got near Qi Aodong’s ear, saying in a lowered voice: “I know you don’t really like me, but I wanted to say to you even before the sale summit today that we are in the same company. I don’t want other people to start gossiping about how ‘we are not getting along together’. Just don’t stay away from me all the time.” 

Qi Aodong was slightly stunned. He looked towards Ji Zeyu and saw an unprecedented sincere expression in his amber eyes. 

On the other side, Wan Long, seeing that Ji Zeyu chose to sit with Qi Aodong, showed an astounded expression. He hurriedly sat down next to Lu Nanyun and teased: “Nan ge, what’s wrong today? Ji Zeyu actually didn’t have interest in you today?”

“Do you know how to talk properly?” Veins bulged on Lu Nanyun’s forehead. “If you don’t, then shut up.”

He’d rather that man stay away from him, as far away as possible!

Wan Long glanced at Ji Zeyu, who was currently whispering to Qi Aodong, and said in a small voice: “But that boy, Qi Aodong, does have above-average looks; clean and young…”

Lu Nanyun said coldly: “Not my problem.”

However, he still couldn’t resist but glance at Ji Zeyu’s direction out of the corner of his eyes.

“Also, don’t look so dead all the time,” Ji Zeyu stared into Qi Aodong’s eyes, saying calmly, “When participating in these kinds of huge activities, you need to treasure every opportunity you get to be in front of the camera. You can only gain more fans by showing off your best side.”

He then reached out two of his fingers to slightly poke the two corners of Qi Aodong’s lips and said with a slightly naughty tone: “Just like this.”

Qi Aodong’s face was a little itchy after being poked and couldn’t hold back a smile. His cold face suddenly became bright and young. But very quickly, he held back the laugh and nodded seriously: “Alright.”

Lu Nanyun looked away, and he suddenly felt frustrated.

The obnoxious doofus, Ji Zeyu, was finally distancing himself from him. He should be feeling happy, but right now, he felt very upset.

Ji Zeyu used to say: “Lu Nanyun, I like you.” Now he’s liking someone else in just a few days.

He really was shameful.

Lu Nanyun felt like he detested Ji Zeyu even more. 

“Nan ge, do you think he’s just playing hard-to-get?” Wan Long suddenly said.

Playing hard-to-get?

Lu Nanyun was stunned. After a few seconds, he laughed coldly and said: “Hah, you think? This guy really has a lot of tricks up his sleeve.”

Ji Zeyu suddenly sneezed.

Qi Aodong wasn’t as guarded as when they first met, he pulled out a jacket from his bag and gave it to Ji Zeyu: “Don’t catch a cold.”

Ji Zeyu didn’t come up with excuses to reject the offer, took over the jacket, and put it on. 

Seeing this scene, Lu Nanyun’s face was aloof as he thought: “Hah, dumb tricks.”

After they returned to the TV station, the crew took back the phones they passed out earlier and told them to practice in the practice rooms.

Ji Zeyu and Qi Aodong lived in the same dormitory. They went back to the dormitory to change into the designated yellow T-shirts for Class B. At this time, Ji Zeyu asked Qi Aodong: “Xiao Dong, what are we rehearsing next?”

“……” Qi Aodong thought that his brain must be going haywire if he felt like this guy was going to actually improve, “Did you really forget that we are in the same group for the first live performance?”

“I have a bad memory.”

Ji Zeyu scratched his head and suddenly got stunned. He repeated Qi Aodong’s words: “Are you saying… It will be our first public performance soon?”

In the original, Ji Zeyu, who was hated on by the entire internet, had a surprising appearance in the first public performance — By surprising, it was actually surprising in a scary way.

He chose the hardest song and wouldn’t let go of the center role no matter what. Yet his dancing skills were actual trash, and he led the whole group to their doom. He single-handedly made the performance into the year’s most famous mess-ups and was turned into a popular meme on trolling websites.

It was that live performance that had ruined Ji Zeyu’s reputation on both skill and personality beyond repair. He became the definition of “useless trash”.

“Yeah,” Qi Aodong shot a confused look at Ji Zeyu, “We already got sorted into our groups last week. You are the center. Don’t tell me you forgot this too?”

“Then…” Ji Zeyu asked tentatively, “How many days do we have until the public performance?” 

Qi Aodong reached out three slender fingers: “Three days.”

In the original, Ji Zeyu’s song and dance selections were not easy. The formation of the whole team needed a long time for them to collaborate well. Perfecting this performance within three days would prove to be a much harder feat than fooling the audience on the stage by copying a few moves.

“Where are we at right now?” Ji Zeyu asked with his last string of hope, “Such as our formation…”

“We are at the level of public square dancing,” Qi Aodong’s words completely pushed Ji Zeyu into the void of despondency.

TL’s Note: Public square dance is commonly used to refer to old ladies dancing in public squares.

 Qi Aodong lifted his head and took a sip from his bottle of water. His Adam’s Apple bobbed in his throat. Then, he looked towards Ji Zeyu and said slowly: “Participation is the only thing important—you said this last week.”

Ji Zeyu sank into deep, deep despair. He suddenly felt like this transmigration trip… Seemed to be in the difficulty level of Hell.

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Translated by: Sydney & Yutong/Puppxteer

Edited by: Michael