Chapter 110: The King and the Bronze

In fact, the announcement for "Produce 101" overlapped with the schedule for the elimination rounds of the Emperor and Four Kings competition. It was only after Fu Xiaoci requested a one-day postponement of the performance time from the person in charge, Liang Qingquan, that the scheduling conflict was resolved.

During the preliminary rounds, Liao Yuan had appeared on the first day four times in a row.

However, each round of the competition typically spanned three days.

Even after entering the elimination rounds, the schedule remained the same. To accommodate the contestants' schedules, the organizers allowed the participants to adjust their timetables during the competition. For a popular contestant like Liao Yuan, the organizers practically provided kingly treatment.

With the scheduling conflict settled, the next day, under Liu Hai’s guidance, Liao Yuan, Fu Xiaoci, and two bodyguards checked into Donghai Film City.

Director Fu Yuntao personally greeted Liao Yuan and his entourage. Many staff members from the production team were already on site, and the entire panel of mentors was present.

When Liao Yuan stepped out of the car, everyone seemed a bit restrained. After a brief exchange of pleasantries between Fu Yuntao and Liao Yuan, Fu Yuntao smiled and proceeded to introduce the mentor panel members one by one.

The singing and songwriting mentor Zheng Yongxu arrived uninvited and strode forward, shaking Liao Yuan’s hand enthusiastically. “Hello, Teacher Liao. I didn’t expect you to be so young. I’m Zheng Yongxu. Welcome.”

Liao Yuan smiled politely. “Hello, Teacher Zheng.”

Others also stepped forward to introduce themselves.

Yu Lianzhou shook Liao Yuan’s hand, appraised him up and down, and praised, “Truly a man of distinction. Talent never ceases to emerge in this country. The industry will surely rely on young prodigies like you going forward.”

Liao Yuan quickly responded with humility.

Yan Nianan shook Liao Yuan’s hand and, looking at his handsome face, said excitedly, “Teacher Liao, we meet again.”

Liao Yuan smiled. “Hello, Teacher Yan.”

The last time they met in the dance practice room, under Liao Yuan’s guidance, Yan Nianan had quickly learned the choreography for the song “Nobody.” She had a vivid memory of the slightly mysterious Liao Yuan. Later, through some subtle clues, she confirmed that this enigmatic mentor was indeed Liao Yuan himself. Privately, she had even looked up photos of him online.

At that time, she thought he was fairly good-looking—handsome and upright but not unforgettable at first glance.

However, now that they were face to face, the mature aura Liao Yuan exuded, along with his mannerisms, stirred an inexplicable feeling in her.

He was like a gentle, experienced uncle weathered by life’s trials, instilling a strong sense of security.

During the exchange between Liao Yuan and the mentors, Fu Yuntao turned to Fu Xiaoci, frowning. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m Liao Yuan’s manager!” Fu Xiaoci said confidently.

Fu Yuntao was speechless. “You really think highly of yourself, don’t you?”

Fu Xiaoci snorted. “Brother, I don’t like hearing that. Don’t let me hear it again! Besides, Liao Meiqi has to debut in the center position, got it?”

“Whether she gets the center position is not up to me,” Fu Yuntao replied, then added, “Xiaoci, don’t be fickle. Since you chose to stay by Mr. Liao’s side, do your job properly and don’t cause trouble, understand?”

Fu Xiaoci rolled her eyes at her brother. “None of your business!”

Fu Yuntao sighed deeply, feeling a headache coming on.

Seeing this, Liu Hai couldn’t help but chuckle quietly at the back of the group.

As they walked and chatted, they soon arrived at the conference room.

“Time is tight. Mr. Liao, let me explain the rules for the second performance,” Fu Yuntao said after inviting everyone to sit.

He continued, “Including you, Mr. Liao, the production team has invited six celebrity seniors to join six groups of contestants. You all need to create songs and dances that fit the theme within three days. The mentor panel will fully assist you during this time to complete your works.”

Liao Yuan asked, “Who are the other five?”

Fu Yuntao named five individuals immediately.

Apart from Han Yu, Liao Yuan did not recognize any of them.

But Liu Hai and Fu Xiaoci were slightly surprised.

Among the seven princes of the empire, the production team had managed to invite two!

Besides Han Yu, Zhang Hengge had also accepted the invitation.

The other three were all rising superstars from the past two years, wielding extraordinary influence in music, film, and variety shows.

Terrifying!

Absolutely terrifying!

As expected from a talent show with a fixed audience of over a hundred million viewers, the guest assistants invited were all heavyweights—

Except for Liao Yuan.

However, Liao Yuan was completely unaware of the significance of this guest list.

Seeing the surprised expressions on Fu Xiaoci and Liu Hai’s faces, he had a vague suspicion but remained indifferent.

Not out of arrogance, but confidence.

Don’t be surprised; does a king feel pressure when facing bronze-level players?

To say nothing else, even in his previous life, whenever Liao Yuan dared to lead the charge in songwriting, no one dared to challenge him.

Because in this field, he was the king.

“According to the rules, the six guests each need to present a keepsake. Thirty-six contestants will choose among these keepsakes. Those who pick a guest’s keepsake automatically join that guest’s team.”

Fu Yuntao looked at Liao Yuan and smiled. “Mr. Liao, don’t say I didn’t warn you: if you want to work with your sister, you’d better choose a keepsake that both of you recognize.”

After thinking for a moment, Liao Yuan instructed his bodyguard to take a copy of “Ghost Blows Out the Light” from his backpack.

Fu Yuntao was stunned. “Brother, that’s way too obvious…”

“Obvious is good,” Liao Yuan smiled. “That way Meiqi will pick me.”

“But you haven’t considered the principle of excess causing the opposite effect…”

Fu Yuntao assessed Liao Yuan’s expression and lowered his voice. “Almost everyone knows now that you wrote ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light.’ If you use that as your keepsake, do you realize what the consequences might be?”

“What consequences?” Liao Yuan asked.

Fu Yuntao sighed. “I’m afraid that except for Liao Meiqi, no one else will choose you.”

Liao Yuan was puzzled. “Why?”

Fu Yuntao widened his eyes and studied Liao Yuan carefully to confirm he truly didn’t know, then said helplessly, “Each of the other five guests has at least tens of millions of followers on Weibo. Why do you think that is? Once these girls learn the identities of the other five guests, do you honestly think they’ll pick you?”

Though called celebrity seniors, compared to the others, Liao Yuan was a complete newcomer who hadn’t even debuted.

Who would choose a rookie to assist?

Liao Yuan suddenly realized. “So, our group with Meiqi will be left with the leftovers?”

Fu Yuntao nodded. “Something like that! So, Mr. Liao, you better change your keepsake. I know you want to team up with Meiqi, but you can use some personal item—a watch or something.”

Unexpectedly, Liao Yuan shook his head and refused. “It’ll be ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light.’”

Fu Yuntao’s mind went blank.

He didn’t know whether to call Liao Yuan confident or foolish…

But for Liao Yuan, getting on a TV show with over a hundred million viewers, if there was a chance to promote “Ghost Blows Out the Light” for free, why not take it?

As for teammates, having Liao Meiqi alone was enough!

If a king accidentally stumbles into a bronze-level player’s battle, and can’t carry a one-versus-ten fight, don’t doubt it—that king is a fake!