#backstage during the first part of act 2. also during the press conference scene i need you to picture all the bolshevik soldiers and

[nutty1005]

Xiao Zhan, welcome to the cruel entertainment business

Original Article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/6qaJPp9O1exu4M8xtbt71A Original Author: 杨晋亚 Translator’s note: The original author is part of Yuli Studio, this article is published in Yuli Studio’s Weixin Official Account on 15 Sep 2019 as a part of “Behind the Screens” Volume 210.

“I never thought it would happen this way, this was fated.”

A month ago, he was just accepted by audiences due to “The Untamed” and just became one of the most popular actors. Now, he had to take on the responsibility of a movie’s box office as the main lead actor, and show his worth to the movie industry.

Three days before “Jade Dynasty I” aired in the cinemas, Yuli Studio met up with the nervous Xiao Zhan, who told us his fears, “Movies, well, they are very direct, very pragmatic and very cruel, so there’s no choice, since we’re already here, I just have to work hard to do my best.”

With traffic and popularity, comes others’ views and opinions – some expected him to withstand the stress of the box office, but there were also others waiting to laugh at his failure. “Jade Dynasty I” was the first obstacle Xiao Zhan was breaking through, and the path ahead was still long.

Xiao Zhan, welcome to the cruel entertainment business.

Xiao Zhan at “Jade Dynasty I” Press Conference

01

Looking back at the movie journeys of all the traffic actors, no one was like Xiao Zhan, who took on a movie while he was still a nobody, and this movie aired just barely 2 months after he made a name, putting his resource conversion ability to a public test.

On the first day, the box office was 142 million, on the second day it broke 200 million, these were the results “Jade Dynasty I” achieved during the Mid Autumn movie season, which exceeded many people’s expectations. The first day was with fans support, the second day still had interested moviegoers, Xiao Zhan’s first time as the lead actor on silver screen and he miraculously withstood the box office.

“Jade Dynasty I” Super Topic + Maoyan Movie Professional Box Office Chart

This was Xiao Zhan’s third time on the silver screen.

The first time, he was a little monster dressed in flowery clothes in “Monster Hunt 2”, drowned in a sea of group actors, almost unnoticeable as the camera panned past him in a second. The second time, he was a special agent, a side character that barely had 1 minute of screen time, in “The Rookies” during that year’s summer movie season. The third time, he became the main lead actor and took on the entire movie, presenting the process of innocent Zhang Xiaofan becoming a demon.

The production team of “Jade Dynasty I” revealed that, whether or not Xiao Zhan became popular, the movie was planned to air on 8 Aug, however because the post production was incomplete, hence it was shifted to the Mid Autumn movie season.

Director Cheng Xiaodong said that the luckiest decision he made for “Jade Dynasty I” was to cast Xiao Zhan, “I never thought that his acting would be so natural so good, he is not pretentious, and he is very humble, when you tell him something he will listen and improve.”

Stage photographs from “Jade Dynasty I”, Xiao Zhan before and after demonizing 

On set, Cheng Xiaodong even actively added some scenes for Xiao Zhan, for example the scene at the start of the movie where Xiaofan was fantasizing about his senior, Tian Linger, “I found that he could act in all layers, he could do dull and dimwitted, he could do the demonizing transformation later on, so this movie he had many layers, the pace kept changing.”

To Xiao Zhan, Zhang Xiaofan of “Jade Dynasty I” was an unforgettable milestone, it was considered to be his toughest filming. Filming in conditions under 20°C and being blown by a giant fan, hung upside down for a free fall of 30 meters, in order to maintain his sense of the role, he even turned off the heater in his trailer, just so that his body will adapt to the temperature outside.

Before “Jade Dynasty I” aired, Xiao Zhan once said, “If the reception of the movie isn’t very good, I just have to work harder in the future. If it was not bad, then I am grateful that you saw my hard work from that period of time.”

After the movie aired, Xiao Zhan became the center of discussion for “Jade Dynasty I”. The movie’s quality was the result of an entire movie crew’s hard work, but now that all the discussions had landed on Xiao Zhan, to a certain degree, that was the price to pay for fame.

Stage photograph from”Jade Dynasty I”, Xiao Zhan as Zhang Xiaofan 

02

On 23 Aug, there was a video on Weibo that was reposted a few tens of thousands of times.

In the video, Xiao Zhan had just ended a day’s filming, and after he got off the car, the 20 over fans waiting at the hotel entrance got rowdy, they blocked Xiao Zhan’s path and took pictures of him in his face using their phones. Spotting a gap at the side, Xiao Zhan suddenly took off running, and then he safely entered the elevator.

During the filming period of “The Oath of Love” recently at Wuxi, crazy fan actions were happening everyday as Xiao Zhan went to and from his work, sometimes they would surround and block him in the underground car park, sometimes when he got into the car they would forcibly block the car doors from closing, sometimes they would knock on his hotel room door to stuff notes to him.

Xiaofan, a staff who worked around Xiao Zhan said that the sasaeng problems was already very serious, the company wanted to provide him two assistants and security guards, but Xiao Zhan insisted not to.

“Because he didn’t want to give off the impression that he started acting like a big shot after he got famous.”

During the interview, Xiao Zhan spoke about the sasaeng problems again

From the media’s perspective, we have witnessed many artists change after they got famous, some would have a star aura, some would be exuding confidence from in to out, Yuli Studio’s reporter Lanpangzi once visited the set of “The Untamed”, and one year later met Xiao Zhan again at the “Jade Dynasty I” press conference, Lanpangzi discovered that Xiao Zhan was still as warm and accommodating like the boy-next-door.

At the backstage of the press conference, a few tens of guests spoke to Xiao Zhan consecutively, he was smiling at everyone, and slowly fulfilled each and everyone’s request to take a photograph together, and only until 4pm that afternoon he was able to finally have time for a few mouths of a lunchbox. The continuous non-stop interviews started at 4.05pm, all the reporters wanted a photograph together, and he tried to accommodate even under such tight scheduling.

After becoming famous, Xiao Zhan had more and more interviews, and if he was not careful, he would be accused of putting on airs if the arrangements of the interviews were done wrongly. Xiaofan said that Xiao Zhan himself was especially aware of this point, “He is now even more nervous than before, and he had expectations of all of his staff, please don’t think that he is putting on airs just because of our errors.”

Xiao Zhan at the “Jade Dynasty I” Press Conference

After joining the “Jade Dynasty I” press conference in Beijing, Xiao Zhan had to quickly fly back to Wuxi to continue filming.

Before “The Untamed” finished airing, Xiao Zhan had already entered the filming for “The Oath of Love”, and filming while at the height of his fame would mean that he would miss a lot of event opportunities. When his fans were worried about his limited exposures, Xiao Zhan’s thoughts was that: “What’s there to be worried about, I feel that an actor’s life comes from his works.”

In fact, Xiao Zhan had received a lot of invitations from many events, so his biggest worry was how he could maintain his normal acting condition.

“Some events you just had to complete, and then I had some commercial obligations prior, like that day at Suzhou, that was a contract that I signed then,” Xiaofan said, “the last thing that Xiao Zhan wanted to do was to take leave.”

Xiao Zhan’s current schedule at “The Oath of Love” was from 8am to 10pm, if he had to take leave, it meant that when Xiao Zhan returned to the set he would have to work overtime to film his scenes.

Stage photograph from “The Oath of Love”, Xiao Zhan as Gu Wei

The performance teacher accompanying the filming , Yang Xu, witnessed Xiao Zhan’s helplessness and anxiety.

“His load in ‘The Oath of Love’ was especially big, basically we could only discuss his scenes that day while he was doing his make up in the morning, because the filming would end very late at night, I wanted him to go back for more rest. Moreover the fan problems now are too prominent, sometimes he would also talk to me a bit, although I don’t think this incident affected his mood or his performance, but it definitely affected his normal resting time.”

For a while, Yang Xu was very worried about Xiao Zhan’s condition, but what surprised him was that, although the filming would end very late at night, but by the next day, Xiao Zhan would have memorized his lines and made full preparations before coming to the make up room.

“That was what made him powerful, and I found that he would actually really use every bit of spare time to prepare for the role and his lines, for example, while doing his make up, even when going to the toilet, he would be holding the script, and then during the rest period after filming every scene, he would be reading his lines with me while drinking coffee, because lines reading needed partners, I said you just take me as your partner.”

When he was away from the set on leave, Xiao Zhan took late night flights between Beijing and Wuxi almost every time, and in the photographs taken by his fans at the airport, he would also be reading his script.

Stage photograph from “The Oath of Love”, Xiao Zhan as Gu Wei 

Every early morning at the make up room would also be the spare time for Xiao Zhan and Xiaofan to talk about their work and release stress.

“Now he does not seem to enjoy the applause and glory from the opportunities that came with his sudden fame, a lot of it was some anxiety and confusion,” in Xiaofan’s eyes, these two months in Xiao Zhan’s life definitely changed.

“Suddenly, we experienced a lot of things that we don’t quite understand, it could have been a small mistake at work, but we would gain the attention of anti-fans or fans. He is more of an introvert, he doesn’t go out to entertain, stays at home more, leads simple life, and suddenly his life came under the spotlight, wherever he went there will be fans following, he was definitely anxious.”

The seniors in the industry would also give Xiao Zhan some advice, and share with him some of the survival rules in the entertainment world that he had not experienced. “For example we will having having a fun conversation, or someone would be telling some something he does not know about in the industry, the next day he will tell me that the conversation made him quite excited, he learned a lot, I feel like he is a sponge like person, continuously absorbing,” a senior in the industry revealed.

Xiao Zhan 

03

On 10 Aug, a day before the filming starts for “The Oath of Love”, performance teacher Yang Xu finally met Xiao Zhan again.

The script for “The Oath of Love” was given to Yang Xu quite early on, Xiao Zhan also wanted to quickly get into the preparation for this role, but because the promotion schedule for “The Untamed” was too tight, they did not manage to squeeze out some time to discuss about the script face-to-face.

“That day’s morning he just fixed his costume, we only met briefly at night,” Yang Xu recalled, but what put him at ease was that Xiao Zhan already made full analysis and preparation of the script, “At that time, I felt assured, his analytical skills of his roles were getting stronger, he was already able to analyze the script independently.”

Yang Xu, who was once a teacher in Central Drama School, participated in many dramas, such as “Nothing Gold Can Stay”, as their performance instructor. When he joined “The Oath of Love”, it was already his third time working with Xiao Zhan.

Stage photograph from “The Oath of Love”, Xiao Zhan as Gu Wei 

While filming “The Untamed”, Xiao Zhan told the visiting staff from Yuli Studio that he wished to improve his lines. After finishing “Jade Dynasty I”, Xiao Zhan proactively went to Yang Xu for a few classes.

The airing “The Untamed” in this summer made many viewers notice the actor Xiao Zhan.

In the “Bloodbath at Nevernight City” in episode 32, Wei Wuxian stood on top of a roof, facing off the accusations from all of the sects, crying and laughing, unable to explain himself. In this part, the Yiling Patriarch’s rage was at his max, and it was Xiao Zhan’s golden moment of his acting abilities, and many drama fans were surprised to find out that the filming of that scene was done in the same day as another scene – that day’s morning was the filming of youth Wei Wuxian in the library, and at night he immediately went into the condition of the Yiling Patriarch dying in Nevernight City.

We asked him how he could film such extreme conditions within the same day, Xiao Zhan confessed that he himself did not know, “I saw some gifs and clips, if I had to suddenly redo this scene, I don’t think I can outperform that me then, I guess that time it was the accumulation of time and condition, maybe that period of time I had already blended into the role.”

Stage photographs from “The Untamed”, Wei Wuxian at Nevernight City and the Library

Drama fans attributed this to Xiao Zhan’s “self-sacrificing styled acting” performance method, in the drama, Wei Wuxian depended on someone to use the “self-sacrificing curse” 16 years later to resurrect – this “self-sacrifice” meant that Xiao Zhan gave himself entirely to the role of Wei Wuxian.

To Yang Xu, Xiao Zhan’s instinctive acting method, where he became the role, actually came from this “sincerity”, and this was where the advantage of Xiao Zhan as an actor lied.

“Xiao Zhan is a very sincere person, I spoke to him then that sincerity is a very important quality in an actor. This sincerity meant that he could 100% give away himself, he was the same when he was taking classes with me. Because when we were practicing, he also needed to share some of his privacy or live experiences, he would share them very sincerely.”

Stage photograph from “The Untamed”, Xiao Zhan as Wei Wuxian

Yang Xu felt that the introvert and quiet Doctor Gu from “The Oath of Love” was more like Xiao Zhan in his everyday life. But Xiao Zhan felt nervous about this role having similarities with his own character, because he felt that he had not acted in any contemporary dramas. Before filming started, he constantly asked Yang Xu about the differences between contemporary dramas and period dramas, whether he was to portray life as more at will compared to period dramas.

Yang Xu told him, at its core they are acting out human emotions, therefore he must truly experience the life of this character, and then build a realistic communication with his partner.

“Yang Zi is a more quick-witted actress, her performances are very varied, if at this time Xiao Zhan wasn’t about to build enough communication with Yang Zi, or not focused enough, then the two of them might not be able to match up. But what’s good is that Xiao Zhan is very sincere, and he could receive Yang Zi’s performance, and then reply with his layered emotions. I was on set watching a few of their scenes, I personally feel that Xiao Zhan did very well.”

From “Jade Dynasty I” to “The Oath of Love”, Yang Xu saw the growth of Xiao Zhan within this half year. During the process of working with Yang Zi, Xiao Zhan became willing to try more variations, willing to breakthrough his fixed style of acting, and look for changes in every scene and every line.

“He is very concerned about how he crafts every single character, he has his own expectations of his performance and profession, he will never be satisfied with his results and what he has attained in performance. He will forever be seeking, and with this seeking, he will have motivation to learn and grow. And he is very talented, I always tell him, you definitely can become a good actor.”

“The Oath of Love” Character Poster

04

We reverse the time back to early 2017, Xiao Zhan has just joined the filming of “Battle Through the Heaven”, as the minor role Lin Xiuya.

Then, Xiao Zhan had just entered the entertainment industry for barely a year, and acted in a web drama that he jokingly called it his “dark history” later on.

During the performance classes before the filming of “Battle Through the Heaven”, Xiao Zhan stood out from all the newcomers, not only because of his outstanding looks, but also because he was well-mannered and polite, very hardworking during the filming, and left a great impression on the staff.

“Battle Through the Heaven” was filmed throughout the Chinese New Year period of 2017, the new actors did not go home, and one of the seniors in the crew was talking to them, telling them that as a singer in China, their career progression might be more limited, and they should go down the path of acting, but the path of acting is a path of no return, they could only move forward and not backwards, therefore you will need to put in everything for it.

Stage photograph from “Battle Through the Heaven” Season 1, Xiao Zhan as Lin Xiuya

Born in 1991, Xiao Zhan was the representative of “over-aged commoner pursuing an entertainment business dream”, he only started to learn dancing at the age of 24, debuting as a part of a boy group. That spring, the 26 year old took in what the senior said, and started to consider the possibility of changing his career path.

At that time, Xiao Zhan was not confident, he felt that he came from an idol group background, and he was not sure if he could become an actor. But one of the strengths of Xiao Zhan was that he would not consider whether he could or not, instead, he would “choose, I just want to do it well, do it first, we’ll see the results later”.

Just like him starting to learn dancing with no foundations, but he saw effects after a month; during the idol competition his mentor Shu Qi suggested that he train his gaze, and a few weeks later he started to shed off the commoner in his gaze; in the transformation to become an actor, the senior encouraged him to lose weight first, and come to the set of “The Wolf” 3 months later, he really lost 10lbs.

“The Wolf” was Xiao Zhan’s entry work, followed through the entire drama as a part of the lead actors, and gained an acting quality improvement from 0 points to 50 points. A member of the staff revealed that hotels with better conditions were further away from the set, and in order to leave more time to acting, Xiao Zhan took the initiative to pick a hotel that was near the set despite it having worse conditions.

Stage photograph from “The Wolf”, Xiao Zhan as Ji Chong 

During the filming period of “Battle Through the Heaven” and “The Wolf”, transforming from a singer to an actor facing cameras, that sensation once caused Xiao Zhan to lose the sense of himself, unsure how he could let the audiences believe that he was that role. During the filming of “The Untamed”, Xiao Zhan was still not confident enough, compared to the newcomers around him that came from acting schools, Xiao Zhan did not have any advantages.

“My thoughts and intentions had always been very simple, that is I want to do it well,” Xiao Zhan said, during the filming of “The Wolf”, he filmed in the day and took classes at night, writing his acting analysis in the late night, he also broke down once or twice, writing them while crying, but eventually he persisted.

The seed of stubbornness and refusal to admit defeat is deeply rooted in Xiao Zhan’s body, as a child he would go to Shaoniangong every weekend to learn drawing, and nothing would keep him from it, because that was something he wanted to do from his heart; when competing in the idol competition, facing many teammates who were from music academies, he thought to himself that “if you could do it, then I could do it too, and I’ll do it even better”; when filming, he believed that viewers would not be concerned whether he came from an acting background, but the most direct answer would be whether he acted well or not.

“The Untamed” finally brought the actor Xiao Zhan to everyone’s notice.

That summer, he became the entertainment business’s new top traffic power, his supertopic firmly in the top three, all kinds of gossip forums had posts about him, and “Jade Dynasty I” also showcased his appeal.

Stage photograph from “The Untamed”, Xiao Zhan as Wei Wuxian 

Why was he able to receive so much love this summer?

There were many within the entertainment circle that looked well upon Xiao Zhan, two of them could provide answers or a type of assessment:

“Xiao Zhan used his acting abilities to conquer me”; “I see the shadow of every worker on him, he carries the hopes and dreams of every man pursuing a dream.”

There was a microblog titled “Recording Xiao Zhan’s every man moments” that obtained 330 thousand likes, and within it, fans shared many little stories about him.

For example, after living for 28 years, Xiao Zhan’s most prideful moment was to have his logo sell well as a designer; the backgrounds of his group’s concerts and the web drama’s slides were all drawn by him; his mobile phone home screen was the God of Fortune, like every person who hoped for a sudden windfall.

One part was the recognition of his working capabilities; the other part, the Xiao Zhan, who became a designer after graduation and went through a year of working life before pursuing his “entertainment business dream”, was indeed very different from the idols that were cultivated from the idol machine, he came with common sense and life experiences, his past was definitely able to resonate with every man.

Xiao Zhan 

05

A fan once sent this microblog – Xiao Zhan’s temperament is so good, perhaps it’s because he had been honed by his clients. Xiao Zhan himself replied her with a meme: “What do you mean?”

The experience as a contractor, plus always facing people with a smile, everyone’s first impression of Xiao Zhan was that he was a gentle person with a good temperament.

Xiao Zhan always habitually considered others’ feelings first.

Staff Xiaofan revealed that the previous assistant was not capable enough, made a lot of mistakes, but Xiao Zhan never lost his temper at him.

Yang Xu accompanied Xiao Zhan every morning in the make up room for script reading, there was once Xiao Zhan had insomnia the night before and was in a bad shape, he took the initiative to apologize to the teacher, “That day I could feel that he was actually very tired, but he still tried his best to maintain his condition to discuss his role with me, later on he came to me and said, teacher I’m sorry, my condition was bad in the morning, you took still so much effort to explain the role to me, I feel quite bad, you can come slightly later, otherwise you’ll feel bad looking at my current state. I was very touched then, I said you just rest well and don’t worry about me.”

In the idol competition, someone once questioned Xiao Zhan’s character as passive and unenthusiastic. To Xiaofan, this is because “he is always humble and polite to people he doesn’t know well, and he’ll treat everyone with a sense of propriety.”

A reporter once asked Xiao Zhan if he was a Mr. Nice Guy. Xiao Zhan replied, “I feel that those who feel like this are probably acquaintances. People who know me very well will know that I’m actually quite stubborn and quite strong-headed.”

Xiao Zhan 

Xiao Zhan said, he did not like to make the atmosphere uncomfortable, he hoped that everyone could all be harmonious.

But in the “Secret Garden”, Xiao Zhan will unexpectedly shed off this shell of warm smiles and display the tenacious edge in his heart.

Xiao Zhan had a microblog that held the heartfelt words between he and his fans, and some words Xiao Zhan would quietly post in the comments, and those who care for him would always see it.

Last year after “The Untamed” started filming, there were those who believed that he would rise to fame very quickly, but there were also those who mocked him for “being famous on credit”, Xiao Zhan, who had a nickname “Brother Wealthy”, quietly posted a comment on the sentiments then, “I have money, I don’t go on credit.”

In his daily life, Xiao Zhan does not like to cry, he said he has given all of his tears to his characters. Once in a while, everyone can also see that soft Xiao Zhan coming out of his protective shell. Last year during the Hangzhou concert, he looked at the hall full of his fans’ support, singing the song, “Satisfaction”, that his fans fought for him, he tried to keep in his tears.

After bursting to fame, whether Xiao Zhan will continue to display his strong or soft moments, we would not know, but Xiaofan revealed that the staff do not control Xiao Zhan’s microblog postings, the “Secret Garden” continues to be his method of communicating with his fans.

But we can be certain that Xiao Zhan is slowly learning and adjusting to the rules of the entertainment business, becoming more careful, he will sometimes tell his staff, “We need to be more careful than before.”

Xiao Zhan’s Mid Autumn greetings 

06

The night after the premiere of “Jade Dynasty I”, Xiao Zhan secretly went to record a program at CCTV. That night at 8.30pm, word from the scalpers circle came out, “Xiao Zhan’s activity, those who can come to the area near the world trade center message me! Limited seats! Hurry!”

Later on, there were a lot of fans gathering at the north entrance of CCTV, and until late night at 11pm, there were still large groups of fans quietly waiting. Xiao Zhan and his staff would sometimes wonder, when would days like this ever end, but they also understood that this is an anomaly, things would slowly stabilize after a few months, and the future still depended on his works.

After completing the filming of “The Oath of Love”, Xiao Zhan will go through a period of rest and adjustment, and enter filming again at the start of next year.

“What worried him previously what that he didn’t know where his opportunities were, didn’t know which path he should take; now of course he’s firmly decided on being a good actor,” Xiaofan revealed.

Xiao Zhan at the premiere press conference of “Jade Dynasty I” 

His vlogs since his debut, until yesterday when he spoke to everyone online, Xiao Zhan always started with “I am still Xiao Zhan”.

After rising to fame, Xiao Zhan told himself that he needed to work harder in his life, and work hard to remind himself to stay common and still be that very initial Xiao Zhan.

However, no one would be able to foresee the possibilities of Xiao Zhan in his career, “No one restricted that I have to be this type of Xiao Zhan my whole life,” since he is someone who likes to stay on his feet, and very willing to try and change.

Entering this cruel entertainment business, Xiao Zhan still continues to be a honorable working class, lying on his sofa after knocking off; traffic comes and goes, he tells himself that he should not compare with anyone else, he should only compete against himself, and be a long distance runner.

Only passion and sincerity can withstand the long and slow passage of time.

Xiao Zhan looking at that year’s fireworks

#xiao zhan #sean xiao #xiaozhan #肖战

[shinydelirium]

MLQC Season 2 Chapter 9 (Kiro) Part 1 [Diversion] & [Rescue] Translation [CN]

***SPOILERS*** THIS POST CONTAINS HEAVY SPOILERS FOR CONTENT NOT YET RELEASED ON EN SERVER!!! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!***

There wasn’t much left in terms of Kiro scenes in Chapter 9 so it’s only going to be 2 parts. Next up to be translated is the infamous Season 2 Chapter 12 TAT

Enjoy~

[Diversion]

The carriage shook violently and soon it moved along the track again, faster and faster.

MC: What exactly is going on?

Looking through the window, in front is an underground tunnel located under the road passage.

Kiro: This car entered a downhill section. Even if it stopped, it will continue to move forward due to inertia.

The boy panicked with fright.

MC: Can you still use Evol now?

His face turned pale but nodded.

Teenage Boy: I’ll try my best….

He tried to raise his hands. His shoulders trembled with effort but the train still didn’t stop.

Teenage Boy: Ugh, I’m sorry….I really don’t have the strength….what should we do next?

Kiro frowned, seemed to think for a moment, then suddenly turned his head and looked at me with an indisputable tone.

Kiro: At this current distance, it’s estimated that there will be less than fifteen minutes before the train arrives at the station.

Kiro: If there is no way to stop it, the consequences will be disastrous.

Kiro: So we have to split into two groups. You go to evacuate the people in the square. I will stay and figure out a way to stop the train.

MC: But—

Kiro: You are in charge of the entire process of the event. Therefore, you must know better than me how to arrange the evacuation.

Reason told me that what he said was correct, but I didn’t seem to be able to give him an affirmative answer.

After the nightmare of the last hunter game, I realized that I never wanted to leave him in danger alone.

I looked up, trying to persuade him to leave together, but found that Kiro was also looking at me with seriousness in his eyes.

Kiro: Please, MC. This matter needs us to complete together.

I know very well that Kiro is right. If we act separately, only then can the risk be minimized…

I nodded and finally made this difficult decision.

MC: I believe in you.

MC: If you find that the situation is difficult to control, you must leave immediately!

Kiro nodded with relief and immediately turned towards Ah Liu.

Kiro: Ah Liu, you take MC out of here first.

Ah Liu: …Every day, I’m being called on by people, but the contract doesn’t have such details.

Ah Liu whispered with distress all over his face but still grabbed my hand without hesitation.

Ah Liu: All right, girl, come on.

Before the dazzling white light completely swallowed me, I shouted out with all my strength.

MC: Kiro, you must show up on time!

The bright white light dissipated. I opened my eyes and found that I had returned to the square where the event is held.

Ah Liu left with a “take care” and hurried back. I stood in place, looking around at crowd in the distance.

The glass buildings reflected dazzling sunlight and no one seemed to notice me suddenly appearing here on the crowded streets.

I took a deep breath and patted my cheeks firmly.

The more dire the crisis is, the more I have to stay alert. I can’t let myself worry about Kiro. It won’t help at all.

What I must do now is try my best to evacuate the people and get them out of the dangerous area under the track.

By now, most of the people gathered in this area are fans and staff members. In other words, I need to find a way to move this group of people to a safe place.

But if the cancellation of the event is announced, everyone will be displeased; if the truth came out, it will undoubtedly cause panic.

Without effective diversion measures, a stampede is more likely to occur.

What should I do…?

My eyes inadvertently swept over the staff from far away who were wearing mascot costumes and distributing advertising pamphlets. An idea suddenly popped into my head.

MC: That’s it!

I immediately took out my mobile phone. Only then did I realize that there was more than a dozen missed calls and all of them were from the company.

I called Kiki’s number back and an anxious voice was soon heard on the other end.

Kiki: Boss, you finally called back!

Kiki: What happened? We couldn’t get in touch with Savin, you, or Kiro anymore! Are you trying to scare us to death!

MC: We’re fine. However, the event schedule has temporarily changed.

MC: Wasn’t there a commercial center about one kilometer away from the previous site?

MC: Kiki, you call right now to confirm if you can provide us with a venue.

Kiki: Boss, are you crazy?! Rebuild the venue now? We don’t have much time left!

MC: It doesn’t matter how simple it is. The event must be held in another place.

I emphasized again into the phone and at the same time, I quickened my pace towards the backstage area.

The square is still full of excitement, whether it’s the LED screen on top of the station or the commercial building, almost all large and small billboards are occupied by Kiro’s image.

But at this moment, I can’t give it up.

I inhaled deeply, pushed down the uneasy feeling, picked up the walkie-talkie, and summoned the staff to backstage.

MC: After some consideration, we need to change the venue for the press conference and add a new warm-up event as well.

After I finished discussing about the hasty plan, there was a moment of silence.

MC: I’m sorry to inform you at the last minute, but we must do this.

MC: I will explain the specific reasons to you later. I will bear all the losses and consequences afterwards.

MC: And so…

Willow: It seems quite fun.

Kiki: Now that the boss has made such a decision, let’s do it.

Anna: We believe in you.

There is a rush of warmth in my heart, but I also know that this is not the time to rejoice.

MC: It shouldn’t be too late so let’s hurry.

There are mascot costumes left over from the last event in the warehouse. Everyone put them on one after another, and then sneaked out of the backstage area.

After confronting the host with the final plan, the anxiety that was suppressed in my heart surged up again.

I don’t know if it will work….

The warm-up music on the stage soon stopped, and the fans who didn’t know what happened at the scene looked towards the stage inexplicably.

The host stepped onto the stage and announced with a mysterious air—

Host: Kiro’s new song release conference warm-up activity—“The Search for Kiro” officially commences!

Host: There will be many bear mascots appearing in the area and Kiro is in one of them. Whoever finds him first will get the chance to sing with Kiro on stage!

The host’s words caused everyone to erupt with excitement.

During that time, many bear mascots appeared in Central Square. Some of them held balloons, some waved to fans, and then ran in different directions.

Even though it seems like it’s going well, my heart is still very anxious.

Perhaps it’s because the reward is too tempting or maybe all the fans in the square became infected by the lively atmosphere.

Not far away is the train track and further away is the skyline of the city decorated by tall buildings.

As long as I avoid the area below the track and disperse the flow of people as much as possible, my plan will be successful.

I looked at the last set of costumes and quickly made a decision in my heart.

[Rescue]

Putting on the last bear costume, I grabbed a handful of balloons and peeked out from behind the door to observe the situation.

When people weren’t paying attention, I quickly ran out.

Fan: There’s also a bear over there!

The voice came from afar and my nerves tightened. I immediately held my head and ran forward without stopping.

The bear mascots were found one by one. There was no one left in the original area and the security guards also blocked the venue as instructed.

After a while, people gradually came to me.

Kiki, who was in charge of monitoring the position of each bear on the headset, yelled at me.

Kiki: Boss, everyone has been found. You’re the only bear left!

MC: ?!!!

Kiki: Let’s run for it, boss!

Passing pedestrians hurried along and crowds gathered in front of the intersection, but the red light did not change.

Damn, it’s a red light….

I looked around anxiously, standing on my toes looking for a gap in which I could pass through.

Fan: I saw the head of a bear! Over there!

Realizing that my appearance in the crowd was too conspicuous, I quickly crouched down and moved aside.

I sit on a small stone bench on the side of the road, praying that the people coming and going can block my body.

A hand suddenly grabbed me from behind and held my hand tightly.

I’m sorry, but I can’t be discovered now!

But the stranger held my wrist, drew me towards him, and took off my headgear.

I suddenly raised my head and the strong sunlight made me squint my eyes.

Kiro: How long were you going to hide before you noticed me?***Changed some wording***

--It’s Kiro!

He lifted the brim of his hat, lowered his head, and there was a bright smile hidden in his blue eyes behind the glasses.

I was shocked, unable to believe that the person in front of me was the real Kiro.

Obviously the moment I saw him, my heart almost jumped out of my chest but there was an uncontrollable feeling in my eyes.

This person always falls from the sky when I need him most.

Always comes to me when I am least confident.

Always…

Kiro: A minute and one second isn’t bad. I came to the appointment on time.

Perhaps seeing the tears forming in my eyes, the smile on Kiro’s face was replaced by astonishment.

Kiro: Ah…do-don’t be sad. The superheroes in the movies tend to show up at the last minute.

MC: I’m crying out of happiness!

I took a deep breath and tried to stop the tears from coming out.

MC: How did you recognize me among so many people?

Kiro: Because you’re easy to recognize.

Kiro raised his eyes slightly and framed me with his fingers like a camera, using a very exaggerated tone.

Kiro: After all, this one is the best-looking bear in the world.

He motioned for me to get closer, looked around, and whispered in my ear.

Kiro: (soft, teasing whisper) Fugitive little bear, we should run away.

Before I could react, he pulled his hat down, then held my hand tightly and ran towards the end of the street.

We went through the gaps in the crowd and ran up the sky bridge.

A little girl licking a lollipop raised her head, pointed at Kiro and yelled in surprise.

Little girl: Ah! You’re the mister who sings very well.

Kiro: Shhh, this balloon is for you. Keep it secret, okay?

We turned the corner and took a shortcut from the alley.

An old woman with a cane and reading glasses at a newsstand widened her eyes at us.

Elderly woman: Are you Kiro? Real people really are more handsome than on TV! When I was young, you were my favorite!

Kiro: You’re still very young now!

MC: Ma’am, please don’t tell anyone that we passed by here!

Kiro relied on rhetorics and charisma to smoothly open up a large part of the crowd.

The rays from the sunset pour into the street little by little, and we continued to run.

MC: I can’t run anymore….

My physical strength was almost gone. I was so tired that I was panting and I couldn’t keep the bear’s head from slipping.

Kiro straightened the bear’s head and pointed in front of us.

Kiro: Kiro’s escape plan was a complete success!

I came back to my senses and looked at the stage.

The crowds continued to gather and the clock in the distance gradually rang. There’s not much time left.

My heart beats rapidly in my chest and I suddenly felt nervous as if I was about to go on stage.

I took off the bear headgear and said to Kiro incoherently.

MC: The stage has been set up temporarily so it may not be that sturdy. Be careful not to fall off when you’re on it.

Kiro: Okay.

MC: The band, lighting, and sound effects are not in place yet. Kiki said that the host hasn’t arrived….

MC: So there may be only one microphone to use on stage…

Kiro: I know.

MC: So no matter what the result….

Before I could finish, Kiro suddenly held up my face.

His fingers traced my eyebrows and gently smoothed out my brows that had been creased together because of my distress.

Kiro: Leave the rest to me.

Kiro: I assure you, they will only have Kiro in their eyes.

After he finished speaking, his tone was determined and confident. The corner of his lips is painted with a smile that was brighter than the sunset.

Kiro: Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone down.

Kiro turned around, swiftly propped his hands on the edge of the railing, and jumped onto the temporarily constructed simple stage.

His figure quickly attracted everyone’s attention.

He threw his hat aside, walked briskly to the middle of the stage and grabbed the microphone.

Passerby: Is that….Kiro?

Fan: Aaahhhh, it’s Kiro!!!! It’s really Kiro!!!

An instant of monstrous screaming and shouting came to my ears.

There were people running into me, passing by, following the dazzling figure on stage, looking for the place where he was.

Mom: Aaahhh---Kiro!!! I will always support you!!! ***The original text was “洛洛(Luo Luo)” but I decided to stick with “Kiro” since it’s easier to follow XD. I guess this means Kiro has a canon nickname :)***

Little girl: Mom, you’re hurting my ears! Can you calm down?

Little girl: And mom, what exactly is a star?

Mom: A star is a person who can shine.  A person who can illuminate others.

Mom: That nice man you see standing there….

Hearing the conversation between the mother and daughter, I couldn’t help but smile. My eyes couldn’t help chasing the radiant figure on the stage.

The cool evening breeze blew his hair, turning his hair into a pulsating golden color.

Even though the weather was heading towards the end of autumn and into the beginning of winter, there is a hazy heat wave between the stage and the shouting audience.

This wave swept through the restless drums, unstoppable, and easily enveloped everyone’s emotions.

The world in my eyes is gradually blurred by the exciting music and drumbeats. Only Kiro on stage is very clearly and deeply burned in my heart.

I was unable to look away.

-End of Part 1-

Continue to Final Part

#spoilers #mlqc #mlqc spoilers #mlqc season 2 #mlqc season 2 spoilers #translations #mlqc season 2 translations #kiro #kiro spoilers #love and producer #koi to producer #mr love queen's choice #mr love game #kira #zhou qiluo #mr love dream date #mldd

[thatgirlintheaudience]

Anastasia National Tour Review

Anastasia National Tour- December 1, 2018 -2 PM matinee

So I luckily got to see the national tour of Anastasia earlier this month. The opening of this show is just really brilliant with how they show the Romanov family. I love how Young Anastasia runs to get the music box and holds it up and then it goes pitch black. It’s really dramatic and I guess that’s why I like it. 

In My Dreams was the highlight of the whole show for me. Lila just sounds amazing in this song. Her voice is so powerful and feels like it could be heard from miles away. It really is a powerful song. I didn't realize the first time I saw the show how much Anya reacts to loud noises. It really just makes you feel for her. 

Learn to Do It is a fun, joyous number. I think I had a smile on my face the whole time. Dmitry actually gets hit by the chalkboard, which is also something I don’t remember from the first time I saw it. And then when Anya and Dmitry dance, that’s definitely still my favorite part. Vlad never should have let them dance, it starts right there. At the end of the song, it’s just Anya on stage and she sings, “you were born in a palace by the sea, could it be?” And she was so hopeful and smiling. It was so cute. 

Jason Michael Evans was a fantastic Gleb. His voice is extraordinary, and the emotion he put into the character was amazing. I feel like Gleb has such a transformation in the show and it’s something I didn't appreciate before. He had tears in his eyes during Still and I was like oh, WOW. The scenes between Anya and Gleb are also great and very intense. 

Is there anyway I can get the backdrop for My Petersburg for my room? because that scene is stunning and so pleasing to look at. Also, the opening notes of this song could lift me from the dead. This song is ICONIC. It’s really a great song to show Dmitry’s backstory and see why and how he became the man he is today. Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty are brilliant with that. I could also hear a river during this scene which was an interesting touch I don’t remember from Broadway. 

Wow, Once Upon a December is still so haunting. Anya can’t even hear Dmitry talking and just falls into this beautiful dream-like trance. And then at the end Little Anastasia runs around Anya  giggling and then she leaves and it’s back to normal. It’s just Anya and Dmitry again and it’s so sad. Yet, just so beautifully done. It’s exquisite to watch. 

Stay, I Pray You is so underrated. I mean, the beginning is done in A CAPPELA. A CAPPELA! It’s such a sad song, when you think about it. Anya, Dmitry and Vlad have such personal connections to Russia, and as we learn in life, leaving something you've known your entire life can be scary! I think this is one of the many reasons people love this show! I think it’s so powerful that towards the end of the song, Dmitry and Anya just sing, and then as everyone gets on the train, Anya sings by herself, “I’ll bless my homeland til I die.” Like, wow, chills. 

Okay, We’ll Go From There is such a fun song and makes me so happy! I love it. The overlapping of their voices is just amazing. And the train will never get old to me! Especially when its Dmitry’s part and it turns around and he’s standing up all confident and Dmitry-like and you're like, wow I love you. Just me? Okay. And when Anya gets scared on the train and Dmitry puts his arm around her. Oh, my heart!

And yeah, like I said, Still was a-mazing. 

Journey to the Past, will this song ever not be magical? Will those opening notes never not bring tears to my eyes? Anyway... Lila was amazing and her voice is so strong. And then the Eiffel tower appears in the back as she hits the last note, I’m a mess. Perfection. 

ACT 2

I love Paris Holds the Key. Just another song that makes me so happy. And how Dmitry and Anya look at each other during the song. Yeah, love. 

So yeah, they took Crossing A Bridge out which I was so sad about because I love that song, but they replace it with a reprise of Paris Holds the Key. I prefer Crossing, but it’s not that big of a change. 

Joy Franz was amazing as the Dowager Empress. The scenes between her and Anya were so intense and emotional. 

I honestly don’t care for the Vlad and Lily parts, but Land of Yesterday is a fun number and the dancing is crazy. At the end, dancers spin really fast. Tari Kelly was perfection as Lily and really embodied her feisty attitude. 

The Romanov family in Anya’s nightmare. Wow. The way Dmirty runs in when Anya’s having the nightmare. He’s grown to care for her and just eases her doubts by saying he’d want her to be Anastasia. In A Crowd of Thousands is a great storytelling song. You can clearly see what they’re singing about in your mind. When Anya realizes she remembers this day, it’s just such a moment and then their voices join together, like wow. 

Quartet at the Ballet is such a great scene. I mean the singing and how they're all in their separate worlds, yet all kinda thinking about the same thing. The scene has such a build up and that’s what I really love about it. And look at the lyrics for each person because damn Dmitry’s lines GOT me. 

Everything to Win is such a sweet song for Dmitry. It just shows how much he cares about Anya and how he really wants this to work out for her. And he’s in a tux. :)

During the Press Conference, you could hear sounds of the press coming from backstage. 

Still/ The Neva Flows is so powerful, so intense, and like I said shows the transformation in Gleb. But, damn, what a scene. And how the Romanov family is in the back. Wow, haunting. 

Yes, Anya stands on a suitcase to kiss Dmitry. 

The finale just makes me so happy. I was bubbling with happiness. And the curtain call, like THANK YOU curtain calls who play the character’s song as they bow because I love that! 

You can look back at my Anastasia on Broadway review under the tag #theater review. Thanks for reading!

#anastasia #anastasia tour #theater review #lila coogan #stephen brower #jason michael evans #ed staudenmayer #tari kelly #joy franz