APCF – Chapter 62 Revealing the Truth

The two mentors had a disagreement over the trainee ratings, which became a major point of attention. Sensing the tension on the mentor stage, both cameras focused on Qi Xingchen and Wei Qin’s faces.

From left to right, the seats of the mentors were arranged as follows: Qi Xingchen, Chen Jiayi, Bo Ye, Zheng Yuyang, and Wei Qin. Despite the two people and the cameras between them, Qi Xingchen tried his best to maintain his expression.

Faced with this situation, he knew the best way to handle it was to go along with Wei Qin’s opinion.

First of all, each mentor has their area of expertise. Wei Qin, as a dance mentor with over ten years of experience, had a high level of credibility when questioning Han Qing’s dance performance.

Secondly, if he voiced his opinion, once the show aired, it was inevitable that he would be questioned by the audience.

What is Noah Entertainment? It is the company of the Starlight Observers. When a Starlight Observer speaks on behalf of someone from Noah, it always carries the possibility of bias.

Even with so many people watching him in the present.

—but he didn’t want to go along with Wei Qin.

His evaluation earlier had been given with a clear conscience, from an outsider’s perspective after watching Cheng’s performance. In fact, he had noted each trainee’s strengths and weaknesses, and Han Qing was deserving of an A or A- level rating.

“I think…” Qi Xingchen said politely, “If we base the evaluation solely on this, would it be a comprehensive judgment of the contestant’s dance abilities?”

“They are part of a team. The team analyzes each person’s abilities and assigns roles accordingly. Since No. 3 was given a relatively simple part, it shows that their dance skills are not strong. And what we are looking for in My Era is an all-round idol,” Wei Qin replied.

After turning off their microphones, the trainees in the audience couldn’t hear what the mentors were saying, but they could sense that the atmosphere between these two was not harmonious, and Han Qing couldn’t help but feel nervous.

At that moment, Bo Ye interrupted: “Since there’s a disagreement, let’s have No. 3 perform again, but with a more difficult move, is that possible?”

“Yes, yes, let’s have him perform again,” Zheng Yuyang helped smooth things over.

Qi Xingchen and Wei Qin nodded in agreement, but Qi Xingchen wasn’t worried in the slightest.

He knew very well how capable Han Qing was, and besides, before coming here, they had undergone a month of intense training together.

As expected, Han Qing didn’t disappoint. To the random music chosen by the teacher, he performed a dance routine he was particularly good at.

He might have been a little nervous since he was singled out to perform alone, but among the trainees who had already performed, his skills were impressive.

In the end, Noah received two A’s, one B, one C, and one D in ratings.

The following trainees showed varying levels of skill, and there were several instances where the mentors disagreed. For example, some were particularly strong vocally but average in dance, or had strong dance skills but weaknesses in other areas. As a Starlight Observer, Qi Xingchen carefully gave one A rating, while the rest were rated as B’s.

After the theme song training was completed, a second round of ratings would be conducted. At that time, based on the trainees’ performance in the theme song, their rankings and groupings could be adjusted.

As the night grew darker, the mentors, who had been on edge all day, began to show signs of exhaustion.

A few times, Qi Xingchen felt his waist ache from sitting too long and secretly twisted and turned. He noticed Bo Ye was still sitting upright and immediately corrected his posture.

For the second-to-last and last groups, the remaining trainees, two of whom were quite impressive, took the stage.

The second-to-last group had a trainee who, like the first-place A-level trainee, was extremely strong and earned an A on their own.

But for the last group, Qi Xingchen hesitated.

His name was Kevin, a trainee from the China branch of C Entertainment.

C Entertainment’s headquarters is in South Korea, and Kevin is a mixed-race trainee selected from the US by C Entertainment’s headquarters. With his good looks and strong abilities, he had many fans even before debuting.

In short, Kevin grew up in the US, trained in Korea, and was sent to China to participate in the competition. It’s likely that C Entertainment saw the gap in the idol market in mainland China and wanted to take advantage of his mixed-race background and fan base to carve out a share of the pie.

C Entertainment sent three trainees this time; the other two were from China, and their performances weren’t particularly outstanding.

Only Kevin’s impressive breaking dance and authentic underground American rap saved this performance.

Anyone with good eyes could see that he was the bright flower in the supporting role.

And what made Qi Xingchen conflicted was…

“Kevin,” Qi Xingchen opened his mic. “Could you sing another song, or show us some Chinese rap?”

His teammates whispered in Kevin’s ear, and soon Kevin nervously said, “Sorry, I only know a little basic Chinese.”

“Have you practiced Chinese songs?” Qi Xingchen asked.

Even if he didn’t speak Chinese, he could probably sing one or two songs phonetically.

Kevin looked uncomfortable and said in English that he really didn’t know any Chinese songs, then he sang a part of an English song.

His vocal tone and range were average, and his pitch was acceptable. It seemed the company had positioned him as a rapper and main dancer.

Bo Ye turned off the mic and asked, “What do you all think?”

Chen Jiayi said, “His image and expressiveness are great, I want to give him an A.”

Zheng Yuyang said, “His rap is amazing, the rhythm is fantastic. Even though I don’t listen to rap, I can tell, I also want to give him an A.”

Wei Qin said, “An A. His dance skills would rank in the top five among all the trainees.”

“But his inability to speak Chinese is a big issue,” Qi Xingchen thought for a moment and said, “My Era is looking for trainees who will lead the idol era in our country. If he never learns Chinese, then later segments can’t be all in English rap, what will we do then?”

There was also something else Qi Xingchen didn’t mention.

He knew that Kevin had been selected to compete, but he didn’t prepare a single Chinese song and couldn’t even understand simple Chinese.

Clearly, his attitude was casual, and he didn’t take this show seriously.

“So,” Qi Xingchen continued, “I’m inclined to give him a B for now and adjust his rating after seeing his performance in the theme song.”

Chen Jiayi and Zheng Yuyang hesitated at his words. Seeing them silent, Wei Qin rebutted, “The theme song is entirely in Chinese. Kevin must learn it. Since the outcome is the same, why wait to adjust his rating later?”

“So my conditions aren’t harsh. As long as he seriously learns the theme song, he can return to the A group,” Qi Xingchen insisted.

It was the second time today the two had clashed, and the chief director was so thrilled he almost exploded.

Such great material, such a good point of tension—where could they find this?!

The studio fell into a tense silence, with nothing but the humming of the machines.

Half a minute later, Bo Ye broke the silence first.

“You all make valid points, but I’d like to observe Kevin’s attitude a bit more,” Bo Ye said, “I agree with the Starlight Observer’s opinion.”

Chen Jiayi and Zheng Yuyang both gave an “OK” gesture.

Wei Qin lowered his head, his face clouded with displeasure.

Bo Ye announced Kevin’s rating as B.

When Kevin heard the result, he couldn’t believe it. He forgot to bow and immediately turned to walk backstage!

His teammates, left behind, bowed and thanked the mentors, then hurriedly caught up with him.

The last group of trainees didn’t cause any problems, and the mentor portion of the day was completed successfully. The directors held a small meeting with the mentors, and then Bo Ye and the others began to leave.

The trainees weren’t allowed to leave yet. After changing into the uniform matching their ranking color, they conducted their first narration interview.

The interview content mainly focused on their satisfaction with their performance, their thoughts on the mentor ratings, which competitors they were paying attention to, and how far they thought they could go in the competition, etc.

When the first-place A-level trainee was interviewed, he smiled and said, “I’m most curious about Kevin’s rating. A long time ago, I saw his rap video on Facebook, and it was really, really strong. When I found out he was coming to compete, I thought I was done for.”

Assistant Director: “So, what do you think is the difference between him and an A-level?”

First-place A-level trainee waves his hand: “I can’t figure it out, he doesn’t have any flaws.”

When it was Han Qing’s turn, he flashed a little tiger tooth and said: “I think everyone is very strong, including my seniors and juniors from the same company. I just hope I can stay for a few more rounds, nothing else, I’m not asking for too much.”

Assistant Director: “I’m really curious about the role distribution in your team. Why is it that every time there’s a lifting move, you’re always at the bottom?”

Han Qing struck a Popeye pose: “Because I’m strong and can lift them!”

The Assistant Director laughed heartily, and after he finished laughing, Han Qing explained, “Actually, it’s Xiao Wu. His throat is inflamed recently, so he can’t hit the high notes. We decided to give him the part of the dance that stands out the most. We can’t let anyone fall behind.”

When it was Kevin’s turn, he seemed much calmer. He looked at the camera and said, “I was too impulsive today, I forgot to thank the mentors. Sorry.”

Assistant Director: “Okay, I believe the mentors can feel your apology.”

The production team then switched to an English-speaking editor to communicate with him: “Have you accepted the rating?”

Kevin replied, “No, I haven’t accepted it. I think you should be real in life, and I don’t want to force myself to say I accept it.” Kevin shrugged. “My fans know my abilities. On the next stage, I believe you’ll know as well.”

Editor: “So, do you know where you might have dissatisfied the mentors?”

Kevin: “Cultural differences, maybe. I checked out Qi Xingchen’s background. He didn’t go to college, so maybe he can’t appreciate the latest underground culture from the US.”

At that moment, he had only communicated with Qi Xingchen after his performance, so he guessed that Qi Xingchen had downgraded his rating.

This comment was quite blunt, mocking Qi Xingchen for having a low education level and not understanding English.

The editor paused for a moment after hearing this.

He really dared to speak out, so real.

However, it’s precisely such contestants who, amidst a crowd of people who follow the “let’s all get along” mentality, tend to attract attention.

Moreover, after this interview aired, Qi Xingchen would have to be extra careful when rating Kevin again. Any slight misstep would be seen as a chance to retaliate.

It was a satisfying moment, while also putting pressure on the opponent. The response was spot on.

For the second recording, the trainees had to go into the practice rooms, so a formal style wasn’t appropriate. Stylist Jiang Jiang tousled Qi Xingchen’s hair, making it voluminous, and changed him into a black LV sportswear. His long legs and proportionate body were fully showcased.

The other mentors dressed similarly. Once all the trainees had gathered, the group entered the large classroom.

Bo Ye took out the cue card: “Your next task is to learn the theme song. The deadline is three days. After three days, we will evaluate your progress.”

“What? Three days? Learn the whole song and dance?”

“That’s too short, isn’t it?!”

The trainees stirred in excitement.

As expected, Bo Ye put down the cue card and gave them a cold glance: “Is three days too short?”

“…Yes.” Four or five trainees muttered quietly.

“Okay, Xingxing, help me with my jacket.”

Bo Ye took off his outer sportswear jacket and threw it to Qi Xingchen. He then pulled up the theme song’s instrumental on his phone, cranked the volume to the max, and played it.

Then, he performed the entire theme song in full!

Lyrics, pitch, rhythm, dance steps—flawless.

The large classroom immediately filled with applause!

Bo Ye was slightly out of breath, but after adjusting his breathing, he said: “This is the result I got after recording the program last night and practicing for three hours. You’ve been given three days, 72 hours. Can’t you complete it?”

The trainees could only respond, “We can do it!”

After hearing the instructions, the trainees returned to their respective practice rooms according to their rankings.

There were five groups in total, so five practice rooms. The production team required each mentor to follow one practice room.

Dance and vocal coaches were available to teach, so the mentors didn’t need to step in personally—they were just there to observe.

Bo Ye thought for a moment: “Teacher Chen will go to Class A, Teacher Zheng will go to Class B, and the remaining three classes will be divided among the three of us.”

Classes A and B had an average high level of students, so they were easier to manage, making them a good fit for Chen Jiayi, who didn’t know much, and Zheng Yuyang, who only knew how to sing.

The two of them happily left, and Bo Ye turned his gaze to Qi Xingchen.

As if their brainwaves collided, Qi Xingchen immediately understood his intention.

He wanted him to go to Class C!

Just now, when Bo Ye asked him to take the jacket, it was almost like announcing to the contestants and the audience that they had a good relationship. If Bo Ye gave him Class C now, he would inevitably be accused of favoritism.

He quickly spoke up, “I want to go to Class F!”

“……” Bo Ye raised an almost imperceptible eyebrow, “Are you sure?”

“Sure, I’m going!”

Without giving any chance for regret, Qi Xingchen quickly ran off.

Bo Ye gave Class C to Wei Qin and went to Class D himself.

When Qi Xingchen opened the door to Class F, the dance teacher was leading the trainees through warm-up exercises. Class F had the most people, and a wave of heat hit him as he entered.

Qi Xingchen sent a message to An Ran: [Go to the ice shop and pack 60 servings of smoothies.]

An Ran: [Understood!]

After the warm-up, they started the official lessons. Maybe because he was young and appeared gentle, the trainees weren’t afraid of him. They spread out and chatted casually.

This was fine for the trainees at the front, but those in the back couldn’t hear the teacher clearly. Qi Xingchen couldn’t stand it anymore and clapped his hands: “Everyone, quiet down! Focus on the lesson!”

“……Oh.” A few trainees answered half-heartedly, and the classroom quieted down for a moment.

Qi Xingchen could feel the subtle dissatisfaction hidden in that “oh.”

The cameraman aimed the camera at Qi Xingchen.

Two hours later, An Ran and the ice shop worker entered with the smoothies. Some were given to the teachers and trainees of Class F, some to the entire production team, and three servings were given to Wei Qin, Chen Jiayi, and Zheng Yuyang.

Qi Xingchen grabbed a serving and stood up, preparing to deliver it to Bo Ye himself.

Before he could leave, however, Bo Ye came in on his own.

“You’re really punctual. I have something for you,” Qi Xingchen said as he handed over the smoothie box.

Bo Ye paused for a moment, then took it with a smile: “I just happened to have something for you as well.”

The next second, Qi Xingchen found a bottle of milk in his hands.

One bottle yesterday, one today. Qi Xingchen couldn’t understand why Bo Ye was so fond of giving him milk. Curious, he asked, “Do you think I really like drinking milk?”

“Hmm,” Bo Ye said matter-of-factly, “That time, you drank 250ml in one go. I was worried you’d choke.”

Qi Xingchen: “……Fine.”

Bo Ye had his own class to look after, so after handing over the milk, he left. Class F finished the smoothies and studied for about another 40 minutes. When the lunch bell rang, it was time for their break.

During the closed training period, My Era program team provided lunch for the trainees. The mentors could either eat there or go out for lunch and return before the afternoon recording session.

The five mentors met up and decided they wanted to check if the trainees were eating well, so they all went to the restaurant together.

As soon as they entered the restaurant, the trainees naturally surrounded them. After chatting for a bit, the director, fearing the delicate mentors might get hungry, gestured for the trainees to go back and eat.

Reluctantly, the trainees left, and only then did Chen Jiayi lead everyone to the food counter.

Each person grabbed a tray and could take whatever dishes they liked in moderation. The variety was rich, and the nutrition was well-balanced. After selecting their dishes, they all headed to the dessert section.

[Today’s offering: Red Bean Double Skin Milk, Ginger Milk Pudding.]

Qi Xingchen’s scalp tingled… why is there milk again?

Chen Jiayi chose the double skin milk, but Bo Ye didn’t like desserts, so he didn’t take any.

Zheng Yuyang called out, “Little Qi, Wei Qin, which one do you want?”

“I’ll have the Ginger Milk Pudding.”

“Xingxing doesn’t eat Ginger Milk Pudding.”

Wei Qin and Bo Ye spoke at the same time, and Qi Xingchen opened his mouth, but the words got stuck in his throat.

Zheng Yuyang paused for a few seconds before picking up a serving of Ginger Milk Pudding for Wei Qin.

Bo Ye noticed Zheng Yuyang’s face was full of curiosity and explained, “Xingxing can’t have ginger; it makes him nosebleed.”

Qi Xingchen: “……”

Qi Xingchen: Breathing oxygen.jpg

…Why does he keep revealing all my secrets!

Author’s note: Xingxing crying: “I only get nosebleeds because you’re too handsome!”