Chapter 17

On the first day of training, Ye Zexi spent nearly half the day lying on the couch.

Tang Jing had yet to memorize all the dance moves, but Ye Zexi had already memorized everyone's parts, and his movements were even more precise than Tang Jing's.

Tang Jing's eyelid twitched. He suddenly felt that things were slipping out of his control.

That evening, Ye Zexi was the first to leave the training room.

On the second day, while the other contestants had only begun practicing the song, Ye Zexi could already sing the entire piece flawlessly from start to finish. His rich, magnetic voice was exceptionally pleasant, and even the picky Mentor Yuan Ming praised him again and again.

While the other four members of their group trained diligently nearby, Ye Zexi took out his sunflower seeds and watched them practice while cracking them.

Like a foreman, he occasionally corrected several of their improper movements.

On the third day of training, Ye Zexi practiced for only one hour the entire day.

That hour was only because the three mentors were coming to inspect their training progress.

He had been forced to.

When training ended that day, Ye Zexi was once again the first to leave the practice room.

Watching Ye Zexi's retreating figure, Tang Jing finally realized that Ye Zexi had not shed a single drop of sweat all day!

Tang Jing stood where he was, his throat tightening.

Jiang Ran silently shook his head. Only then did he step forward and pat Tang Jing on the shoulder, saying with a wistful expression, "I've been through this once already. You'll get used to it."

Tang Jing clenched his teeth, experiencing a profound sense of powerlessness for the first time.

But he would not admit defeat so easily. Tang Jing wiped the emotion from his face and said coldly, "I'll keep training. Do as you please."

Jiang Ran and Yu Yan exchanged a glance and sighed inwardly at the same time.

Admitting that you were inferior to someone else really was difficult.

But after experiencing that feeling of defeat once, Jiang Ran could already accept it calmly.

That Thursday, Era Idol's official social media account released a new preview video.

The video was a compilation of the contestants' training over the past week. Fans practically watched it with magnifying glasses, searching frame by frame for their idols.

Ye Zexi's fans had also flocked over after catching wind of it, but the two-minute video was already at one minute and fifty seconds. Why had they still not seen any shots of Ye Zexi?

Just as the fans were confused, Tang Jing's face appeared on the screen in the next second.

Tang Jing said calmly, "Ye Zexi, this time, I'm going to compete with you for the Center Position."

In the next second, the shot cut to Ye Zexi, and a flicker of bewilderment passed through his eyes.

The video ended abruptly there.

Ye Zexi's fans were instantly stunned.

What was going on?

Were Ye Zexi and Tang Jing in the same group?

Being grouped with an old lover was a little too exciting!

The production team was really too good at editing. Couldn't they let them see what happened afterward?

Tang Jing's fans were equally shocked.

No way, their Tang Tang was actually in the same group as Ye Zexi!

Could it be that Ye Zexi, that clingy pest, had latched onto him himself?

Compared to the fans' shock, casual viewers found it more exciting.

Ye Zexi and Tang Jing being in the same group was not only a clash between two powerhouses, but also a battle between former lovers!

Quite a few viewers had already begun looking forward to what kind of stage performance the two would bring them.

The freshly minted Xi-Tang CP fans were also thrilled. They had only just started shipping the pair—who could have expected the real duo to start feeding them so soon!

A love-hate relationship

was simply the perfect script to ship!

Some were delighted, while others were worried. No matter what, the official account's preview instantly piqued everyone's curiosity.

Online discussion surrounding Era Idol's third episode grew increasingly heated. Even many viewers who had not planned to watch the livestream the next day quietly clicked to set a reminder.

Reservations for the third Era Idol live performance broadcast reached a new peak.

Chapter 17 [17]

At seven that evening, Gao Shu finished a busy day of work.

In just four days, Gao Shu had used his outstanding execution skills to assemble a professional management team. That day, he and the team's new employees moved into a new office.

After a full day together, the colleagues had grown familiar with one another and gained a clearer understanding of their future responsibilities.

With quitting time approaching, Gao Shu carried out his final routine public relations check of the day. He searched for Ye Zexi's latest trending topics and immediately spotted one tag that had surged that day—#Tang Jing Wants to Fight Ye Zexi for the Center Position#.

Countless marketing accounts rushed to repost it, while the comments below were filled with gunpowder between fans on both sides.

Gao Shu frowned and clicked into the topic.

Two minutes later, Gao Shu understood the entire situation.

Gao Shu's heart sped up for a second. "Archrivals," "former lovers," "mortal enemies"—what incredible selling points!

His sharp instincts told him that there was buzz to be created here!

Recently, Gao Shu had conducted a comprehensive business analysis for Ye Zexi. Everything about his young master was currently going well, and if things continued at this pace, his future path to stardom would only become smoother.

But there was still one issue that could not be ignored: Tang Jing.

An ex was not a blemish, but there would always be people making a fuss over it. If it was not handled properly, a string of problems would definitely erupt later.

Now that CP fans had practically been delivered to his doorstep, Gao Shu naturally had to make use of them.

Before that, he first called Tang Jing's manager.

Five minutes later, Gao Shu reached a consensus with the other party. He put down the phone, looked at the new employees in the office who were eagerly awaiting the end of the workday, and smiled as he said something immensely painful: "Sorry for the trouble, everyone, but you'll have to stay late and work overtime today."

At eight that night, an anonymous forum in a famous domestic entertainment section saw a post appear—"Archrivals? Former lovers? A thing of the past? Official sugar or an official knife?"

Original post:

The suffering of solo fans, the carnival of CP fans.

Was it a clash between two powerhouses, or a showdown between mortal enemies?