RCQT Chapter 87

Chu Qianze walked with the other four people and, upon arriving at the public practice room, he slowed down for two seconds, falling a few steps behind, allowing the other three to go ahead.

Rong Jinghe sensed Chu Qianze’s intention and didn’t speak. Instead, he quickly walked inside and directly chose a position on the farthest side.

Having finally freed himself from the previous company and no longer subjected to binding marketing, Rong Jinghe had no desire to stir up any trouble. If possible, he preferred to minimize unnecessary entanglements with the other party during the recording of the program.

He only wanted to return to his original intention, quietly be a trainee, earnestly participate in competitions, and showcase his performance to everyone, rather than being involved in baseless scandals.

Ye Lunguo and Hong naturally stood beside Rong Jinghe.

Understanding this person’s thoughts, Chu Qianze didn’t bother to approach. He simply stood near Hong, leaving two people between him and Rong Jinghe.

One by one, trainees arrived, standing in designated areas according to their ranks.

At 6:55, Yu Xiaoyang and Wu Tiao arrived at the public practice room, standing beside the stage and quietly observing the trainees’ discussions.

Exactly at 7:00, Yu Xiaoyang walked to the center of the stage, picked up the microphone, tested the volume, and asked, “It’s already 7:00, is everyone here?”

After a slight finger-pointing, he continued, “Members of Class A and Class B are present. To the person on the left, in the first row of the three remaining classes, start counting now.”

After the counting concluded, Yu Xiaoyang’s lips pressed downward slightly, and the gentleness in his eyes receded a bit.

Wu Tiao glanced at Yu Xiaoyang, placed her left hand on her hip, and swept her ponytail behind her, maintaining a silent and imposing presence.

At this moment, several trainees had just arrived at the entrance. They had been chatting about something, but upon seeing the quiet atmosphere inside, their voices naturally lowered.

Yu Xiaoyang looked at the few individuals at the entrance. “What time is it now?”

Dou Xi was among them. He looked at the wall clock; it had just passed five minutes since seven. The second hand swept past the 12, and the minute hand had moved forward one small box.

7:06.

“Do you know what time the class starts?”

Seeing that the group remained silent, Yu Xiaoyang pursed his lips. “Being late on the first day of class, everyone has been waiting for you. Did the staff not inform you of the time, or did you not find the location?”

“Teacher, we… we went to the wrong place,” one of the trainees said.

Dou Xi glanced at the person but didn’t say anything, just lowered his head.

Exhaling, Yu Xiaoyang didn’t dwell on the topic. He waved his hand to the side and spoke in a slightly more relaxed tone, “Don’t be late next time; quickly join the group now.”

Watching as the few individuals joined the group, Yu Xiaoyang’s gaze swept across the faces of the crowd. “I am your mentor, Yu Xiaoyang, and this is your dance instructor, Wu Tiao. In tonight’s class, we will give you a brief overview of the song ‘Dream Sailing.'”

Applause resonated in the room.

Chu Qianze joined in the applause, and when he saw Yu Xiaoyang pressing his hand downward, he promptly stopped.

“Before we start the class, let me say a word off-topic. Punctuality is crucial; regardless of the industry, being on time is a great quality. Not to mention coming early, at least try not to be late. Generally, arriving one or two minutes early is ideal, and in this aspect, you all have been doing well. I hope you continue to maintain it. It’s normal to have unexpected incidents on the first day of class; I hope everyone can be on time for the next sessions.”

Yu Xiaoyang’s expression relaxed, and he exchanged a glance with Wu Tiao. “Now, let’s begin today’s lesson. Shortly, we will play a video, and I want you all to follow along with the dance.”

Upon hearing this, there was an immediate murmur in the room. Before even starting the teaching, we’re going to dance directly?

Ye Lunguo’s eyes widened, displaying a clear sense of confusion. His time learning dance was not extensive, and his foundation was the weakest in Class A. Already slow in learning, the complexity of this particular song made his progress even slower. Up to this point, he hadn’t even covered a quarter of the choreography.

And now, before the mentors even began teaching, they were going to evaluate their performance?

Observing the reactions of the group, Yu Xiaoyang didn’t respond and gestured to the side, saying, “Now, please, Wu Tiao, play the video.”

Wu Tiao made an OK gesture, clicked the play button, and instantly, the lively drumbeat echoed in the practice room.

As the music started, everyone could only brace themselves and begin.

Since they were following the video, everyone’s movements were generally half a beat behind. Some trainees had put in some effort in advance, making their performance look relatively smooth at the beginning. However, after about fifteen seconds, their movements gradually became chaotic.

As time passed, the slow tempo and incorrect movements turned the group into a gradually chaotic mess.

Some went so far as to just dance randomly. Laughter filled the air, gestures changed constantly, and occasional shouts of excitement echoed.

Others simply gave up, standing in place without moving.

Yu Xiaoyang’s gaze swept over the trainees, his expression growing more serious.

Halfway through the song, he raised his hand and gestured to the side, signaling Wu Tiao to stop the video.

“What are you all doing?”

Scared by the mentor’s stern tone, silence fell over the room. No one dared to speak, and even those who were fooling around moments ago wore more serious expressions now.

Yu Xiaoyang opened his mouth, hesitated, and then spoke after a moment. “Do you all know that the countdown began during the last episode’s recording, the time when we first played the theme song video? In three days, in the morning, we’ll start recording your individual dances. Your performances will then be re-evaluated based on your progress. Time is really tight, and there’s not much left for you. But looking at the progress of most of you, it’s a bit slow. I hope everyone can be more serious and take this dance seriously because it’s a crucial part of the competition.”

“The dance moves are not easy, but they’re not overly difficult either. It mainly tests your fundamentals, and many of the moves can be applied in other dances. Once you master this dance and understand it well, learning other similar dances will be much easier. I hope that through these three days of practice, everyone can make progress.”

Seeing everyone standing in silence, Yu Xiaoyang sighed and said, “Chu Qianze, Rong Jinghe, come to the stage.”

“Yes.”

Chu Qianze took a step forward, turning to walk towards the side of the stage. At that moment, his eyes coincidentally met with Rong Jinghe’s. Without saying a word, Chu Qianze slightly slowed down, allowing the other to go ahead.

One after the other, they both stepped onto the stage.

“Both of you stand in the middle of the stage, facing the audience, and dance through this piece,” Yu Xiaoyang instructed.

He switched the microphone to the other hand and turned to address the trainees below, “You can observe their movements.”

“I’m starting the music now.”

After Wu Tiao gave the prompt, she directly clicked to play the video, and the sound system resumed its work.

On the first beat of the music, Chu Qianze had already assumed a starting pose, his eyelids slightly lowered, and his lips pressed into a straight line.

Noticing Chu Qianze’s expression, Wu Tiao silently exclaimed and nudged Yu Xiaoyang beside her, indicating him to watch Chu Qianze.

Fingers tapped in rhythm, limbs moved to the musical beat,

Up, down,

Clean and precise movements, precise beats, the entire sequence flowed smoothly.

The prelude came to an end.

“Perhaps I’ll be afraid, standing still in hesitation and uncertainty.” Chu Qianze sang the first rap, narrating the inner reflections of a young person.

At the same moment, Rong Jinghe continued.

At the instant their voices overlapped, a mysterious shiver ran through him.

Controlling his facial expression, lowering his wrist, seamlessly transitioning to the next move.

As the lyrics gradually progressed, the layers of the music built up step by step, creating a sensation that grew from mild to intense.

The movements of the two synchronized perfectly, like a meticulous reproduction, providing an ultimate sense of comfort and relaxation.

Rong Jinghe sang and danced along with the music, and in the hazy moments, the sense of discomfort that had prevailed in the practice room seemed to dissipate.

If it felt like navigating through thick fog before, now, there was only a thin film separating them from the truth, ready to be pierced at any moment.

Shoulders slightly inward, instruments layering upon layering, the atmosphere gradually reached its climax.

“Let us embark on a dream sail.” The high notes resounded.

The taut strings suddenly snapped, and emotions reached an instantaneous peak.

Lifting their gaze, arms extended,

Chu Qianze extended his palm, a carefree arc forming at the corner of his mouth.

They belonged to different types, their dance styles completely distinct. Yet, at this moment, there was a strange sense of similarity—an understanding and resonance with the song.

Thump, thump, thump, the rhythm instantly accelerated.

Knees lifted and dropped, upper body pivoting around a point in the air, tracing a circular arc. The next second, the movement locked in,

Contract, release!

On the stage, Chu Qianze danced with grace, laughed recklessly, displaying an air of self-confidence. Arrogant, yet not detestable, he was irresistibly captivating.

In the audience, some were enchanted, others wore expressions of reluctance but couldn’t conceal their amazement. Some, after comparing themselves to the performers, recognized the gap in skill and simply stopped watching.

Hong belonged to the first group at the moment. His mouth hung open, forming an ‘O’ shape, his eyes fixed on the duo’s performance, giving him a somewhat dazed appearance.

He wanted to applaud and cheer, but the atmosphere in the room held him back. The clapping motion he initiated was halted at the last moment, turning into a left hand touching the right.

There was no choice; he didn’t want to disrupt the current atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Ye Lunguo gazed at the two with a hint of envy in his eyes. They seemed to be radiating light, especially dazzling at this moment.

Chu Qianze and Rong Jinghe had seamlessly integrated singing and dancing, while he, on the other hand, hadn’t even mastered half of the choreography. Despite being classmates in Class A, the gap seemed too significant.

With these thoughts, he lowered his head, one hand silently clenched, silently making a determined resolution.

Jump, land.

As the final note resounded, Chu Qianze placed his index finger on his lips, blew a kiss, and performed a stylish wink with his left eye, unabashedly showcasing his charm.

“Ohh—” involuntarily, the trainees let out sounds, their scalps tingling. But it had to be admitted that they were captivated.

As the music concluded, applause echoed continuously throughout the room.

Amused by the reactions from the audience, Chu Qianze slapped his thigh, bursting into laughter that even sounded like a goose honk.

“That last move, added brilliantly,” Wu Tiao picked up the microphone and immediately started praising.

“Thank you, Teacher Wu Tiao,” Chu Qianze responded, reigning in his laughter.

“Rong Jinghe did well too. Perhaps a bit reserved at the beginning, but towards the end, he let himself go, exuding that youthful exuberance. Remember that feeling and practice according to it,” Yu Xiaoyang commented.

Rong Jinghe: “Thank you, Yu PD.”

Only he knew that the reason he let loose towards the end was entirely influenced by the person next to him. He couldn’t help but follow his lead.

Such infectious charisma…

Rong Jinghe felt a bit complicated in his heart.

Previously, he seemed to have a bias against Chu Qianze.

“You danced excellently. You can go down now,” Yu Xiaoyang applauded, and the trainees below also responded.

The two stepped down together.

Chu Qianze, just about to take a slower step, noticed that Rong Jinghe had already stopped in place, apparently intending to let him go first.

“Thanks.” Chu Qianze didn’t bother with niceties and walked down the stairs directly.

As soon as he reached Class A’s position, Hong grabbed his shoulder.

“Awesome! You danced so damn well; I was completely stunned down there!” Hong looked particularly excited, laughing so hard that his forehead wrinkles almost showed.

“Just so-so,” Chu Qianze humbly replied, as was customary.

“You danced really well,” a somewhat chilly male voice chimed in.

Chu Qianze turned his head and met Rong Jinghe’s gaze. “It was okay~” he responded.

“No need to be modest; you’re very talented,” Rong Jinghe stated casually.

It was a fact, and there was nothing to deny.

Chu Qianze smiled but didn’t say anything more.

“What you just showed everyone was a more complete state of the dance. In tonight’s class, we will go through the entire song, and the rest is up to you. After today, there are only two days left to master the song,” Yu Xiaoyang raised his voice. “Do you all have confidence?”

“Yes!”

“Very well, now let’s begin the practice.”

Inside the training area, the mentors called out the beats, and all the members followed along with the choreography.

If one attempt didn’t suffice, they would go through it again.

This scene was being thoroughly captured by the cameras.

 

 

 

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Author has something to say:

At first, Rong Jinghe (with a sigh): Focus on the career, no scandals, no CP.

Later, Rong Jinghe (slams the table): Still single! Where are the CP fans!?