Chu Qianze, as the first-ranked participant, possesses the right to select candidates. However, being an A-level performer himself, considering the average performance level, he cannot choose players from the same level. So this time, everyone is divided into different groups.
After the rehearsal, Chu Qianze walked out of the practice room and went straight to the room across, raising his hand to knock on the door.
The door opened, and he pushed it open, greeting, “Is the practice finished?”
Rong Jinghe pulled the door open a bit more, “Almost.”
“Shall I wait here for you?” Chu Qianze turned around, leaning against the door frame.
“No need, I’ll let them practice on their own, just wait a moment.” Rong Jinghe turned back, preparing to explain the situation to the team members.
“Brother Jinghe, we all know, you go back quickly,” one person said.
“Yeah, Brother Jinghe, we can train on our own later. You also need to take care of yourself and rest.”
“Yes, resting is crucial. Save your energy for the performance.”
Upon hearing this, Rong Jinghe hesitated for a moment, holding the door’s handle: “Then I’ll leave first. You guys take care.”
“Go ahead then.”
Picking up his own shoulder bag, he walked outside and closed the door behind him. Standing in front of Chu Qianze, he said, “Everything’s done now.”
“Let’s go then.” Chu Qianze took the lead and walked outside.
Rong Jinghe caught up in a few steps, “Actually, I can handle it alone.”
“Really?”
Chu Qianze glanced at his demeanor, made an assessment, and tilted his head, “Dancing again today?”
“Mmm…” Somehow, Rong Jinghe felt a bit guilty. “Because someone wasn’t doing the moves correctly, so I demonstrated it a bit.”
“Be careful, I trust you know what you’re doing,” Chu Qianze said.
Seeing the way this person could injure himself even while walking, dancing was indeed risky. If something went wrong, there would be no need to continue with the performance.
Rong Jinghe looked up to observe the expressions of those around him but couldn’t draw any conclusions.
“I’m careful, I’ll pay more attention next time.”
“Have you sorted out your roles and responsibilities?” Chu Qianze didn’t dwell on it and changed the topic.
“Yes, this time I’m in charge of the vocal part, trying to minimize the dance moves.” As they arrived at the dorm, Rong Jinghe opened the door, letting the other person enter first.
Chu Qianze didn’t hesitate and walked into the room, taking a seat at his designated spot.
Hong and Ye Lunguo were still rehearsing, so only the two of them were in the room. “You go take a shower first; I’ll check what the instructions say.”
After a while, Rong Jinghe emerged from the bathroom, wiping his face as he asked, “Shall we start now?”
Chu Qianze: “Yeah, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can be done. How do you want to do this?”
“It’s not very convenient downstairs, how about we go upstairs? Thanks for your trouble,” Rong Jinghe placed the sparkling water on the table.
“That works. If you don’t mind me going on your bed,” Chu Qianze suggested.
“I don’t mind.” Saying this, Rong Jinghe climbed up with the help of the side railing, pulled the bed curtain aside, making sure it wouldn’t obstruct anyone.
“Come up.”
“You grab the box first,” Chu Qianze lifted the square box in his hand. After Rong Jinghe took it up, Chu Qianze climbed up using the crossbar of the bed net.
“Be careful, don’t fall,” Rong Jinghe cautioned.
Even though they were now dealing with the upper and lower bunks, the orientation was different, and the other person probably wasn’t used to it.
“You underestimate me.” Chu Qianze climbed up from the ladder and turned, nestling inside.
This was, after all, a single bed, and two adults sitting inside made it a bit cramped. Rong Jinghe made an effort to stay in the corner to avoid blocking the other person.
Seeing the other person folding his legs and holding the large box in his lap to make room, Chu Qianze couldn’t help but find it amusing, “There’s plenty of space over here. Come closer, it’s fine.”
“It’s okay.”
The proximity between the two became too close, and Rong Jinghe couldn’t help but shift to the side again, but there was no more space.
Seeing him sitting still, Chu Qianze suggested, “Lie down first, how else can we do cupping?”
After saying that, he brought over the box with the items.
The space on the single bed was indeed limited. In order to create more space, Chu Qianze leaned against the side railing, bent over, and stood up.
Once Rong Jinghe lay down, Chu Qianze squatted beside him, saying, “Take off your clothes.”
Rong Jinghe took off his upper garment, revealing a smooth and well-proportioned back with evenly distributed muscles, likely due to dance practice. It was perfect for cupping.
Seeing that he was in position, Chu Qianze said, “Following the instructions, I’ll use some essential oil first, then start cupping.”
Acknowledging with a nod, Rong Jinghe remained still.
After a few motions, Chu Qianze finished the preparations. After covering him with a small blanket, Chu Qianze sat beside him. “Wait for fifteen minutes, and then I’ll remove them. Keep an eye on the time.”
“I didn’t bring a watch,” Rong Jinghe replied.
“Coincidentally, I didn’t bring one either.” Chu Qianze sat cross-legged beside him, running his hand through his hair.
“I don’t feel like climbing down again. Let’s estimate the time, and when it’s about right, I’ll release them.”
Rong Jinghe lay on the pillow, softly acknowledging.
The atmosphere was quite pleasant now, making it hard not to relax.
“I wrote another set of lyrics recently,” Rong Jinghe changed the topic.
“Oh? What kind of lyrics is it?”
“It’s related to everyone, but it’s still in the initial version with many flaws that need refining.” Rong Jinghe tilted his head, pressing his face against his arm.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Chu Qianze’s elbow rested on the side railing as he casually asked.
“I don’t remember the specifics. The notebook is under the pillow, page 23. Take a look yourself.” Perhaps because the current situation was quite pleasant, Rong Jinghe felt a bit drowsy.
“I’ll just grab it.” Chu Qianze found it amusing but still shifted a bit toward Rong Jinghe to reach for the notebook.
Due to the sudden proximity of Chu Qianze, the drowsiness that had just emerged retreated. Rong Jinghe opened one eye, “It’s the pillow at my feet.”
Indeed, he had placed a pillow at both ends of the bed.
“You use a pillow as a footrest?” Chu Qianze sat back and lifted the pillow, revealing the notebook lying there obediently.
“I just happened to put it there last night; it’s not usually like this.” Rong Jinghe buried his head again and mumbled, “Page 32, take a look yourself.”
“How many pages are there exactly?”
Chu Qianze, saying this, casually flipped open the notebook.
“Hmm… what?” Rong Jinghe squinted, feeling drowsy as his eyelids fought against the urge to close.
Seems like a bit of a sleepy haze.
“Never mind, I’ll find it myself.” Chu Qianze casually flipped through the notebook and landed directly on page 23.
It was different from the overall style, with a faint crease next to it.
This didn’t seem like lyrics but more like a jotting down of thoughts. And the person mentioned seemed to be me?
The text wasn’t long, and as his eyes scanned it, the information was directly recorded. At the same time, his brain processed the information.
[He is so dazzling, I want to let him fly to the sky, soar out of the world.]
As his eyes scanned this line, Chu Qianze glanced at the person beside him and couldn’t help but raise a wry smile. Seeing that he seemed to have fallen asleep, Chu Qianze didn’t say anything and just turned to the next pages.
Here were the lyrics Rong Jinghe mentioned, describing everyone’s journey as trainees, practicing for performances, striving hard to prove themselves and putting on the best show for everyone. Indeed, as he mentioned, there were areas that needed refining, but the foundational emotions were already there.
Chu Qianze leaned against the wall, holding the notebook in his hand, and read through it once again.
The room was very quiet, with only the gentle sound of someone breathing.
Suddenly, a knock on the door, followed by the door swinging open, and Hong’s voice echoing in the dorm: “Brothers, friends, and family, I’m back!”
As the words fell, he discovered the room was empty, which puzzled him: “Where is everyone? Where did they go?” Startled by the voice, Rong Jinghe was on the verge of sitting up but was held down by Chu Qianze in time.
Chu Qianze peeked out, not in the best mood. “We’re right here. What’s with the shouting? Calling spirits or something?”
Hong walked over, crossed his arms, and looked up, “Why are you on Brother Jinghe’s bed? Be careful; I’ll tell Brother Jinghe!”
“Coincidentally, your Brother Jinghe is here too,” Chu Qianze raised an eyebrow.
“You two single guys, sharing a room is one thing, but you’re even on the same bed?!” Hong’s eyebrows shot up, the wrinkle on his forehead clearly visible as his expression changed. He chuckled, “Count me in too!”
With that, he grabbed the crossbar and prepared to climb.
“Wait, look over there first.” Chu Qianze pointed his finger to the left.
“What?” Hong followed the direction, but there was nothing.
“Help me check the time now,” Chu Qianze said.
Hong acknowledged and walked over to check the time, then reported it.
“Fifteen minutes must have passed; I’ll remove them,” Chu Qianze said, pulling one down and poking at it. “This purple one is quite impressive.”
Rong Jinghe shivered a bit and couldn’t help but laugh, “Don’t poke, it tickles.”
“Alright,” Chu Qianze showed understanding, pulling down the remaining cups and giving a final poke.
Rong Jinghe curled up, laughing so hard he was shaking, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
He gave a playful kick to someone nearby.
Hong stood below, feeling ignored, and unwilling to be left out, he said, “Is it that fun? I want cupping too!”
“Is there anything uncomfortable with you?” Chu Qianze asked Hong, raising his hand to block the attacks from the person nearby.
Not really.
After a moment of thought, Hong’s eyes lit up, “My neck has been really sore lately. Pull some cups for me.”
“Alright,”
Seeing this person’s playful expression, Chu Qianze couldn’t help but lose his temper a bit. After packing up the cups, he handed the box to Hong, “Here, go ahead.”
Is this for me?
Hong took the items and saw the two of them descending. He then observed them sitting in his positions.
What about the follow-up? Weren’t they supposed to cup me?
His back was almost getting a hole from the stares. Chu Qianze stood up resignedly, “For the neck, right? Let me do it for you.”
“Ah, thanks, Brother Chu!” Hong went to his chair, sitting up straight as if in a classroom.
“Done, don’t move. Call me in fifteen minutes.” Chu Qianze clapped his hands, and seeing Rong Jinghe staring at him, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Did you just read the lyrics?” Rong Jinghe asked tentatively.
Suddenly, he remembered there were some other things written in his notebook.
“I did. Looking forward to the complete version,” Chu Qianze said.
His expression was natural, his demeanor calm, no different from usual.
He didn’t see it, right… Well, it’s a whole book, not so coincidental.
Rong Jinghe breathed a sigh of relief, “Yeah, I’ll show you when it’s ready.”
When Ye Lunguo returned, he found Hong with seven or eight cups on his neck, sitting on a chair in a grandpa-playing-phone posture, but holding a cupping instruction manual.
“What’s going on here?” Ye Lunguo felt puzzled.
“Cupping. There are a few left, do you want to try?” Chu Qianze asked.
So, the next day, the group appeared in the practice room with cupping marks on their bodies.
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