Rebirth: Spoiling the Obsessive Film Emperor Chapter 248

Chapter 248: Disguise 

The camera turned back to the live stage. GCD boy group's new song this time was called "Disguise." It was a name that seemed very serious whether one looked at it or heard it, and in the hands of most modern boy groups, it would usually be arranged into a cool and handsome dance.

But when it landed with them, it became a group of men tearing off their prop suit jackets, revealing the white, loose T-shirts and big, flowery shorts they were wearing underneath.

For a split second, the entire scene was dead silent.

Until, following the joyful sound of the suona horn, they started moving to all kinds of unpredictable dance steps...

"What the heck is this, hahaha..."

"I get it, they're performing stealing something, right? Hahaha? The way they're sneaking around!"

"Shh! Quiet, quiet! Everyone in the audience needs to be quiet!"

On stage, the six boy group members were putting on what looked like a sitcom sketch. Led by Rong Yu, the six of them were peeking and prying in the same direction, using exaggerated movements to vividly bring the words "sneaky and furtive" to life.

Anyone with eyes could see they were after something.

Of course, all these movements were also accompanied by dance steps and alternating singing. Without a certain level of skill, it would be impossible to keep their singing stable while performing so many situational actions.

Just as they all wore excited expressions, simultaneously reaching out in the same direction, seemingly about to grasp that thing, a clear, crisp silver bell sound rang out at that moment.

The instant the bell sounded, the six people's movements came to an abrupt halt.

It was as if a pause button had been pressed, freezing their exaggerated poses in that moment, and also freezing the smiles on the audience's faces.

What's going on?

This was the question on every audience member's mind.

The happy mood from watching a group of handsome guys dancing in big, flowery shorts hadn't even settled yet. The eerie silence after the bell rang caused the smiles on people's lips to gradually fade. Pairs of eyes stared fixedly at the stage, afraid of missing any detail.

Just then, the suona sounded again.

But this time, it was no longer that cheerful, festive, comedic tune, like something out of a two-man comedy act.

With their next move, those embarrassingly flashy big, flowery shorts were torn off with a "shhhh-rip" sound!

Some audience members immediately reached out to cover their eyes, then peered at the stage through the slightly open gaps between their fingers. Only then did they discover that underneath the big, flowery shorts, these six were actually wearing a pair of tight-fitting capri pants!

Mm-hmm, disguise, disguise—peeling off layer after layer, it's all disguise. Okay, that works!

Of course, the speechlessness was only momentary. After changing clothes again, the six were now dressed in a simple, loose T-shirt and tight black pants.

The style was simple, but on the dimly lit stage, it gave people an eerie feeling.

Especially when the suona background music abruptly changed its tune, shifting from a festive melody to a long, drawn-out, sorrowful one.

Fang Mengda, standing at the back, suddenly took something out of his pants pocket and flung it high into the sky! 

Everyone's gaze followed it upwards, only to see that what had been tossed up were actually small pieces of white paper. They fluttered down in abundance, like countless dancing white butterflies, gently landing on their bodies.

Wen Yu's voice sounded at this moment, a low chant: "I put on layer upon layer of disguise, striving to become the image in your heart."

"I put on layer upon layer of disguise, madly chasing a distant wish."

"I put on layer upon layer of disguise, but in the end, I am not that image."

"The bell sounds, the dream clears upon waking, I peel off the layers of disguise, everything returns to how it was."

The five of them spread out in unison. Tao Li, with his back to the audience, slowly turned around, raised his left hand high, tilted his chin slightly, and a high note exploded throughout the venue: "Ha-ah—ah-ah—ah!—"

At this moment, his voice was almost in the same key and tone as the suona!

At this moment, his voice was the center stage!

The singing ceased, the melody lingered in the air. The silver bell sounded once more. The five who had separated hung their heads low, walked over to Tao Li's side, and one by one sat down on the floor. Finally, even Tao Li himself crouched down and closed his eyes.

The performance was over. The bright stage lights came on. The venue was quiet for a good while, and only then did thunderous applause erupt.

The six quickly snapped out of their roles, helped each other up, and together bowed to everyone in thanks.

Donghuang Qingyan, a polite smile on his face, made an inviting gesture toward them: "Although everyone already knows you, let's go through the motions and introduce yourselves."

Rong Yu steadied his breath, used his fingertip to adjust his microphone, which had gone askew from all the big movements, and said, "Hello everyone, we are..."

The six said in perfect unison, "GCD!"

After they introduced themselves in order, Rong Yu continued, "The song we're giving you all today is our new single, 'Disguise.' We hope you like it."

Donghuang Qingyan: "I really like the lyrics of this song. But your performance is a bit different from my own understanding of the lyrics. Could you share your interpretation?"

Rong Yu looked left and right at the others. Seeing that no one seemed inclined to answer, he said, "Everyone has their own views, I guess. The main reason we decided to perform it this way is, first, because we felt this kind of performance suits us better, and second, because this interpretation is more intuitive. It lets everyone see that we really do have a 'disguise'." As he spoke, Rong Yu bent down and picked up one of the flowery shorts that had been thrown on the ground.

Audience: "Hahaha!"

Rong Yu very calmly gestured with the big, flowery shorts and handed them toward Tao Li: "This one's yours."

Tao Li: "..."

Tao Li: "I suspect you're implying my waist size is bigger than yours."

Rong Yu feigned surprise: "Is that something that even needs implying? Isn't it just a fact?"

Audience: "Hahaha..."

Judge Liu Xing suddenly perked up with interest: "Are you two about to start arguing? Internal conflict within GCD boy group, a disbandment crisis?"

Rong Yu smiled calmly and picked up the thread: "If the program needs this kind of headline to boost some viewership ratings, we wouldn't mind cooperating a bit. Just remember to settle the payment with us afterward, enough for six people, so it's easy for us to split the loot. Thanks~"

Liu Xing: "..."

Liu Xing couldn't help but laugh: "You'd have to ask our host Dong about that, I can't make that call."

Donghuang Qingyan, never one to shy away from a bit of fun: "Alright, I'll pay you. Please, begin your performance. I've even thought up the plot for you: Rong Yu throws down the clothes in his hand and walks off stage, Tao Li goes to pull him back, Chi Yang swings a fist to hit him, Wen Yu holds Chi Yang back, Fang Mengda starts crying, Ming Qian comforts Fang Mengda."

The other GCD boy group members: "..."

Wen Yu tugged at Rong Yu's sleeve: "Captain, maybe we shouldn't go for this kind of money? Our group's expenses aren't that tight, right? If we're really that hard up, I could even chip in from my own pocket to cover it."

The others chimed in agreement one after another.

Only then did Rong Yu say to Donghuang Qingyan: "I've gathered the opinions within the group. We'll pass on this money-making opportunity for now. We can talk about it again if we ever run into financial trouble later on."

Donghuang Qingyan was just trying to liven up the atmosphere anyway; he hadn't really meant to make them add a scene. He made a few more casual jokes and then let it go.

But thanks to this bit of playful banter, the audience's impression of this group was deep, and the sense of aesthetic fatigue from watching several consecutive performances had dissipated quite a bit.

Rong Yu also got back to the main topic: "My personal understanding of this song, 'Disguise,' is this: When facing a person or thing you long for and admire, even if it means hiding yourself, disguising yourself, even if it means crossing the boundary between life and death, transcending great joy and great sorrow, you still have to pursue it, have to try. Even if, in the end, it might all come to nothing. Even if, after the bell rings, everything might return to how it was—that's okay. Compared to failing, the most tragic thing is never having tried to pursue it at all."

Rong Yu's eyes drooped slightly, his lashes casting a faint shadow beneath his eyes. He gently added, "Even if such a pursuit means hiding the most authentic version of yourself, you have no regrets."

After Rong Yu finished, the others also shared their own understandings of their new song. The judges each talked about the strengths and weaknesses of this segment of their performance.

Overall, their interpretation was very innovative, earning them green lights from all the judges. This was only the second time since the show began that a group had received five green lights. The audience's applause was unending.

While Judge Qin Xuan was giving his comments, Rong Yu's gaze shifted towards him. Suddenly, he noticed Yin Chengjue sitting not too far from that spot!

Although the other person was wearing a mask and a cap, Rong Yu recognized him at a glance. A warmth spread through his heart.

Every time he performed, Yin Chengjue would be sitting in the audience. Even though this was just the preliminary round, and Rong Yu had told him he didn't need to come.

He couldn't show it too obviously in front of the camera. Rong Yu could only wait until he got off stage to hurriedly rush off to remove his makeup and change clothes, while also sending Yin Chengjue a WeChat message.

The WeChat message was replied to instantly. Rong Yu, feeling pleased, grabbed his small bag, said a quick goodbye to his assistant Xiao Yang, and hurried out.

Two streets away from the recording site was a food district. Yin Chengjue had just sent him the address and reservation number via WeChat—they were having lamb hotpot for dinner.

Rong Yu happily headed towards the meeting spot. But just as he exited the backstage door, he caught sight of Yin Chengjue's figure.

Joy flashed in Rong Yu's eyes. He was about to run over and pounce on him, but after taking just two steps, he noticed that in front of Yin Chengjue, whose back was turned to this direction, stood another person.

That person was wearing a hoodie. The hood was very wide, pulled up over that person's head, even covering half of the face. Plus, that person was wearing a big black mask, so the face was completely unidentifiable.

Rong Yu squinted slightly. He didn't stop walking; instead, he sprinted over even faster than before. In the last few steps, he braked hard and, before Yin Chengjue could turn around at the sound, hugged him from behind.

Yin Chengjue was just turning his head when Rong Yu stood on his tiptoes, leaned in, and precisely, through their masks, kissed Yin Chengjue right on the lips.

Even though they were now face to face, Rong Yu still used his hand to cover Yin Chengjue's eyes. He himself shot fierce, dagger-like glares at the person in the hoodie standing across from them.