Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 32 Getting out of the circle
In winter, the days are long and the nights are short, and the quiet night weaves a dark net in the sky.

The trainees, who had just laid down to rest, were woken up by the selection committee. On average, they had slept less than four hours. They were woken up drowsy and clung to their beds, hoping to sleep a little longer.

The election officials who were responsible for waking them up were ruthless and even shook the quilts when necessary to wake them up.

Even though there was heating in the bedroom, the huge temperature difference when the quilt was taken away made the trainees feel bitingly cold.

It snowed again in the morning, and Justin excitedly opened the window. When the snowflakes drifted in through the window, Gu Jingyi felt the chill.

He glanced at the time. It was already past 7 a.m. Gu Jingyi quickly got up and washed up. When the program selection manager knocked on the dormitory door, Gu Jingyi was already dressed and looked so fresh and clean that he could appear on camera at any time.

Cai Xukun wasn't so lucky. He'd practiced extra the previous night. Back in the dorm, he and Justin had instant noodles for a late-night snack. The combination of staying up late and eating the oily, salty noodles had left him feeling a bit swollen.

His slightly swollen bare face flashed across the camera, and upon noticing the production crew's arrival, Cai Xukun hurriedly grabbed a baseball cap and put it on, using the wide brim to cover his face. He silently prayed that this "Idol Producer" segment wouldn't be edited into the main film.

Fortunately, the production team just routinely asked the trainees to get up to rehearse the theme song, and when they saw that they were already up, they left.

Cai Xukun finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been under a lot of pressure these days.

Gu Jingyi put too much pressure on him, and he had to work harder and harder to close the gap a little bit.

"Would you like some coffee?"

Seeing him like this, Gu Jingyi wanted to laugh. Coincidentally, there were a few bottles of black coffee he had bought from the canteen on the table in front of him. He pushed the coffee over and said, "Take a couple of sips. You're about to get swollen like a pig's head."

Cai Xukun squinted his eyes and responded, reaching out to take it. He unscrewed the bottle cap and took a few sips.

"It's so bitter," Cai Xukun complained but still drank it honestly.

"Black coffee isn't a drink, so of course it's bitter. I let you drink it because it can help reduce swelling."

Gu Jingyi said with a smile.

Today is the rehearsal and filming for the theme song music video. Filming early in the morning means the trainees must pay attention to their diet, water intake, and sleep the day before. Otherwise, they will easily become swollen and be criticized as "dough" or "greasy."

After pulling an all-nighter last night, the trainees were feeling a bit rundown. Cai Xukun's face swelling isn't uncommon, given the short lead-in period and heavy workload on "Idol Producer." Staying up late is the norm, and edema is inevitable for the trainees.

"Strange, Justin, why don't you have swelling?"

Cai Xukun glanced at Justin, who had eaten instant noodles with him yesterday, and couldn't help but ask.

"Ah? Brother Jingyi and I both have the habit of drinking black coffee."

Justin was a little confused when asked, but still gave an answer.

Cai Xukun looked at Gu Jingyi with a complicated look. The purpose of a talent show is to select 100 people from 9 trainees to debut.

Both he and Gu Jingyi were aiming for the C position.

In other words, both of them are rivals.

If Gu Jingyi also had edema, would he give away the black coffee in his hand?

As soon as this question arose in his mind, Cai Xukun knew the answer.

When he looked at Gu Jingyi, this time, besides envy, he also had a bit of admiration from his rival. When the trainees were exhausted from rehearsing the theme song in the studio, a storm was set off in the "Idol Producer" fan circle.

A website called "Gu Jingyi's Donuts" posted a set of pictures on Weibo with the tags "Gu Jingyi" and "Idol Producer".

This is obviously a fan site. When you click on the introduction on the homepage, it is clear "all for Gu Jingyi"

This site posted a set of photos that were obviously taken at night. However, thanks to the good equipment used, a SLR telephoto lens, the pictures are quite clear and the composition is well-structured.

The first image shows Gu Jingyi gazing forward through a metal mesh. Moonlight streams softly from the sky to the ground, delicately caressing his silhouette against the night sky and enveloping it in a hazy shimmer. This creates a coherent image, a story unto itself.

The second picture shows him staring ahead, with a hint of heartache in his eyes.
In the third picture, Gu Jingyi half-crouched down, searching for a heat pad in the bag on the ground.

In the fourth picture, he passed the hot pack through the gap in the iron mesh. The iron mesh was so dense and fierce that it scratched the back of his hand, leaving a small wound.

The fifth image is a close-up of Gu Jingyi, dressed in wool, as a fan hands him a heat pad. Gu Jingyi leans forward, the distance between them suddenly shortening to almost nothing. From the angle of the shot, it almost looks like they're expressing their love for each other under the delicate moonlight.

The title of the article is, [There is more hidden love in the corners that no one cares about]

After a few hours of forwarding and commenting on this set of photos, the dehydrated data exceeded 100,000.

A large number of fans flocked to Gu Jingyi’s super topic that day, including fans of celebrities, fans who buy stocks, fans who admire strong men, and fans who like his looks.

Especially under the comments section of Weibo, fans who received warmth from Gu Jingyi last night were chattering and sharing details.

I was one of the fans there yesterday. As everyone who's been following the show knows, it snowed on the day of the re-rating for "Idol Producer." The trainees finished recording the theme song and were still recording some other extra material.

When we didn't see Xiao Jing back at the dormitory, a South Korean fan who'd followed overseas talent shows guessed it. She took us to the dormitory to see Jing Yi, though none of us had high hopes. The snow had just stopped, and it was two or three in the morning, the coldest time of the day.

The hand warmers and hot drinks we brought with us had long since lost their warmth. Just when the cold was at its worst, a familiar figure emerged from the store. Seriously, those of you who've been to the scene will understand. Even if a top-notch handsome guy is far away, his aura and figure can still captivate you at first sight.

One of the sisters saw the South Korean fans aiming their cameras at him and excitedly called out "Gu Jingyi" a few times. Then, Gu Jingyi actually turned around and walked over!

This fan's story immediately caused a stir, with fans and passersby constantly urging her to reveal more details.

There were also some fans who were at the scene, and not wanting to be outdone, they also posted Repos under Tian Xi’s Weibo.

When Gu Jingyi walked over, all my excitement became concrete. He's the only trainee who pays attention to his outfit, even in the freezing cold. He's a man who always maintains his idol consciousness. [Two photos attached]. All I can say is, those of you who picked Gu Jingyi are in luck; this handsome guy is a real talent no matter where he goes.]

The fan attached two photos, one of which was a departure photo of Gu Jingyi and other trainees squatting in the dormitory building.

Among the trainees wearing bulky down jackets, the fashionable Gu Jingyi once again turned them into background boards.

One photo shows Gu Jingyi's gentle eyes as he hands out hot packs to fans under the iron net.

This picture with strong contrast once again gave fans an orgasm.

I will truly love Gu Jingyi forever. It was actually very windy that day. Everyone knows the trainees were exhausted after working all night recording. Xiaoyi didn't actually buy a lot of heat pads, but he still made two trips to give one to each of his fans. [Photo]

The heat pads were applied, and two pairs of hands landed at the head and tail, respectively. A strong sense of destiny reappeared. This mutual entanglement between fans and idols has once again become a trend in fan circles.

Even fans who never watch talent shows or pay much attention to the actors' private lives have paid more attention to the show "Idol Producer".

(End of this chapter)