The groups with the same song were assigned to the same practice room.
The two teams sat at opposite ends of the practice room, positioned diagonally from each other, trying to maximize the distance between them.
Everyone sat in a circle. Chu Qianze held the lyrics in his hands, browsing through the printed materials.
Inside the group, some followed the lyrics in their hands, some stared into space in a daze, some looked around, and others observed themselves and their teammates. Dou Xi seemed like he wanted to say something, but hesitated after opening his mouth.
The team was enveloped in an unusual silence, which, in contrast to the lively arguments nearby, felt even more awkward.
Chu Qianze flipped through the materials, simultaneously taking note of everyone’s reactions. It seemed that his teammates were quite distinctive in their personalities.
Sitting cross-legged, he raised the booklet in his hand, actively breaking the silence. ‘Let’s first confirm the positions within the team.’
“Alright.”
“Sure.”
“Okay.”
Everyone responded lazily, their enthusiasm not particularly high.
“First, let’s discuss the C position. Does anyone want to take on the role?”
People exchanged glances.
“How about you, Chu Qianze?” someone suggested.
Given Chu Qianze’s capabilities, no one objected when the suggestion was made.
“Anybody else interested in this position? We can compete for it,” Chu Qianze said, scanning the group with his eyes. “No takers?”
“Really, no one? Don’t be shy; if you’re interested, just speak up.”
Silence persisted.
“Alright, I’ll take on the C position. If any of you have specific parts you want to perform, just let me know. Otherwise, when we start practicing, it might be too late.” Saying this, Chu Qianze wrote his name in the corresponding slot.
“Now, who wants the next section?” As the question was posed, no one spoke up.
Raising his eyes to the group, and with everyone still silent, they all stared quietly at the lyrics in their hands.
“Anyone want to sing the next section?”
No one responded.
Sighing, Chu Qianze set down what he was holding. “What’s going on with you guys? Come on, be more active. It’s too quiet, feels like I’m standing on an arctic glacier here.”
“Uh… okay,” one person chuckled, but that was the end of it.
“I’m up for it.”
“At least for the first performance, don’t you want to do it well? What’s going on in your minds? Share your thoughts with me,” Chu Qianze felt that he needed to address the atmosphere within the team first. The current situation seemed problematic in every aspect.
Chu Qianze continued, “It’s okay, just speak up. Let’s chat casually.”
“I’m okay with anything, it’s whatever.”
“I don’t have any particular thoughts. Our opponent is so formidable; it seems like we don’t stand a chance.”
“This song is too difficult; I don’t think I can handle it.”
The others remained silent, but their expressions clearly conveyed similar sentiments.
Taking note of everyone’s expressions, Chu Qianze couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless.
He was familiar with these few people, who had been at the bottom of the rankings before, some even behind him.
Based on the initial results, they were all within the elimination range, with their combined screen time in the first episode not exceeding five seconds. Whether it was due to the script of elimination or their own reasons, he wasn’t sure.
Though he understood, he couldn’t fully accept it.
Since gentle words weren’t working…
Chu Qianze closed his eyes and then lifted his lids with a smile. “Since everyone has spoken, allow me to say a few words. I might not sound too pleasant, so I apologize in advance.”
“Seriously, what are you all thinking? Acting like you don’t care about your performance for anyone to see?” His tone remained steady, but his entire presence suddenly became imposing, startling those nearby.
“If you feel indifferent, think you’ll be eliminated, can’t win against your opponents, and choose to lie down like a dead fish, then why stay here? Why not leave now? Save yourself some time, save us some space, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions—all in one go. Sounds great, doesn’t it?”
Chu Qianze continued, sweeping his gaze around the surroundings.
“Why did you join this program in the first place? To become an idol, to get famous, to perform on stage, or just to make money directly. To achieve any of these, you should at least put in some effort, right?”
“Even if you might get eliminated, at least there’s still a performance coming up, an opportunity for the audience to see you. It’s a fantastic chance, but whether or not you can seize it is entirely up to you.”
On the other side, Rong Jinghe halted his conversation and looked in their direction.
“I won’t bother with the rest; it’s too much talk. Anyway, the words are out there. If you want to do something, then join me, let’s work together, put in our best efforts, and show the best scene. If you don’t care, then keep maintaining this state, be a backdrop, wait to be eliminated. It’s fine, right? Head home without even a single shot; that’s quite nice, isn’t it?”
Chu Qianze picked up his script and flipped a page. “Since everyone’s indifferent, I’ll make some casual arrangements. There shouldn’t be any objections. First—”
At that moment, a hand went up. Chu Qianze looked over and saw Dou Xi sitting on the ground, head lowered.
“Um, I want to sing the second part.” Dou Xi’s voice was a bit low, tinged with nervousness.
“Very well,”
Chu Qianze softened his tone. “Does anyone else want to sing this part?”
Seeing no response, he continued, “Seems like no one does. You’re in charge of this section.”
Noticing that something seemed off with the other person’s demeanor, Chu Qianze took the initiative, “If there’s an issue, speak up. Let’s solve it together.”
Upon hearing this, Dou Xi paused, looking at the lyrics in his hands with some inner conflict. “I can sing, but I get nervous easily, and I’m not good at dancing.”
Most of this involved dancing, and he was worried about whether he could do it well.
“It’s okay; we can practice that later,” Chu Qianze reassured.
“I can rap; I can handle the relevant middle parts,” someone interjected.
Chu Qianze looked at the person and made eye contact. “Why don’t you go ahead and sing this part first, okay?”
Pointing to the lyrics, he wanted to hear the person’s performance first.
After the person finished singing, Chu Qianze nodded. “It’s quite good, really nice. Let’s go with what you have in mind.”
“Sure, okay.”
After nodding, he hesitated for a moment. “But… there’s a part here that requires singing.”
Looking up at the person, Chu Qianze asked, “What’s the issue?”
“I’m not very good at singing.”
He scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. “When I sing, I always struggle to find the right pronunciation, and I tend to go off-key habitually.”
“Well… how about you try singing that part?”
Chu Qianze wasn’t entirely sure about the person’s singing ability. When someone said they weren’t good at singing, it could mean different things. Many people tended to downplay their skills out of modesty.
He cleared his throat. “I’m starting.”
Then, Chu Qianze found himself in a moment of existential doubt. It sounded fine, but what was the original key of this song?
His expression remained unchanged. “No problem. We have some time; we can gradually get familiar and practice.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“I’m good at dancing but tend to go off-key when singing,” another person added.
Chu Qianze nodded. “No big deal. Let’s choose a part with fewer lyrics. You’ll be in charge of the solo dance section. Is that okay?”
“Sure.”
After asking around, it seemed like a group of specialized individuals: some could rap but not sing, others could sing but not dance, and some only excelled at dancing. A bunch of talented but somewhat one-sided individuals.
Regardless, the atmosphere had improved considerably compared to before. At least now everyone seemed willing to make an effort.
After labeling each person’s name, Chu Qianze made a final inquiry, “Is everyone okay with this arrangement?”
Receiving affirmations from the other eight individuals, Chu Qianze gathered his composure. “Alright, then let’s practice according to this lineup. First, follow the original singer, memorize the lyrics and melody of the song. After that, we’ll move on to learning the dance. Today, let’s familiarize ourselves with the song, try to master our respective parts as much as possible. Is that alright with everyone?”
Receiving eight nodding heads, Chu Qianze said, “Let’s start practicing directly, but remember to warm up first.”
On the other side, within the team of Rong Jinghe, they were currently discussing how to allocate tasks.
Hearing that Chu Qianze’s group had stood up to begin warming up, one person glanced over.
“Just now, they were still arguing, and now they’ve sorted everything out and started practicing? Is the transition too quick?”
Rong Jinghe glanced over in that direction and redirected everyone’s attention. “Let’s continue. The position for rap just now – both of you are interested, so let’s have a little competition. Everyone votes.”
Both teams finalized their roles and began to familiarize themselves with the song.
As the evening approached, it was almost time for dinner.
Seeing that everyone had trained sufficiently, Chu Qianze clapped his hands to gather their attention.
“It’s getting late now; everyone take a break. Deal with anything you need to deal with now. Let’s meet at seven and continue practicing.”
“Everyone’s in good spirits today. Don’t stay cooped up in the training room all the time. Take a break, go out, relax, and get a feel for things. If anyone still wants to continue practicing, personally, I recommend going for a run. Dou Xi, your vocal tone is excellent, but your stamina needs improvement. Running is a great way to train; you can start now.”
“And you, same issue. Want to improve lung capacity? Go for a run.”
“Don’t stay here; there are plenty of opportunities later. Maybe you can even take a nap here. Take advantage of the time now; go outside for a bit. I’m heading out first.”
Having said that, he waved his hand and walked out directly.
Regardless of what these people were planning to do, he was heading to dinner.
Seeing Chu Qianze leave, the members of the group exchanged glances.
“What should we do now?”
“I think Brother Chu makes sense. I’m going for a run first.”
“Then take me along,” Dou Xi stood up and said.
The two walked out together, and the others followed suit.
As they left the practice room, Dou Xi joined the group in their physical activity. While running, he commented, “Brother Chu seems really impressive.”
One of the runners turned to look at him upon hearing this but didn’t say anything, just nodding.
“And he’s genuinely teaching us,” Dou Xi added.
“Hmm.”
The next day proceeded as planned. In the evening, everyone left to attend to their individual matters and reconvened at seven.
On the third day,
After having dinner in the cafeteria, Chu Qianze glanced at the time. He was running a bit late compared to the originally agreed-upon time. He decided not to follow his usual practice of digesting his food and headed directly back to the practice room. He wanted to ponder how to lead this group of people, ensuring that at least during the performance, there wouldn’t be major issues.
Currently, everyone’s condition was decent, but they were all lacking in various aspects, and their weaknesses were quite apparent.
Approaching the door of the practice room, just as Chu Qianze was about to push it open, he overheard a discussion from inside.
“I wonder what Chu Qianze is struggling with? Forming such a lousy team, it’s obvious they want him to be eliminated.”
Oh, they’re talking about me.
Chu Qianze paused, raised an eyebrow, and just stood there, waiting for more.
“Lower your voice; there are people over there.”
“Isn’t he wearing headphones? It’s a rare break; what’s wrong with chatting?”
“Initially, when I saw how efficiently they were organizing things, I was worried we might be up against a dark horse. Turns out, I was overthinking it. If these people manage to advance, that would be truly miraculous, haha.”
“I checked their progress during the day, and some of them haven’t even completed the dance. It seems like we have a great chance of winning. Although Chu Qianze is skilled, it’s a group showdown. We’ll definitely crush them when the time comes.”
“Speaking of skills, can anyone compare to our Brother Jinghe? I heard Chu Qianze is ranked at the bottom; he might get eliminated after this assessment. Competing with someone like him feels like bullying. I think he can only dance, but Brother Jinghe is the first, defeating him will be a piece of cake, right? Brother Jinghe.” The tone carried a hint of flattery, clearly an attempt to curry favor with Rong Jinghe.
“The result will be judged by the audience.”
After finishing the dance practice, Rong Jinghe glanced at the group and spoke in a steady tone, “You missed the beat just now. If you have time to chat, you might as well practice.”
The underlying message was, “You talk too much.”
Chu Qianze couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
He opened the door and caught sight of those two bewildered faces, carrying the awkwardness of being caught gossiping about others behind their backs.
The most enthusiastic speaker just now was a guy with a hedgehog-like hairstyle. He had been this way since the beginning of the program, outspoken and candid. Some people liked him for his straightforwardness, while opinions about him were mixed on the internet.
As Chu Qianze scanned the group with his eyes, he reached back to close the door and walked straight into the room. Passing by the hedgehog-haired guy, he muttered to himself, “Closing the door is also a good habit.”
He heard that?
The hedgehog guy visibly hesitated, unable to save face. He lifted his head, seemingly ready to retort, only to meet Chu Qianze’s ambiguous smile.
For some reason, he found himself hesitating.
Chu Qianze walked over and spotted Dou Xi, who was wearing headphones and earnestly memorizing lyrics.
He tapped Dou Xi’s shoulder and bent down to ask, “How’s the lyric memorization going?”
Dou Xi shivered, quickly took off his headphones, and looked up at Chu Qianze with shimmering eyes. “It’s almost done.”
After saying that, he stepped aside to give way and continued to bury his head in the lyrics.
[It’s strange; there’s no music playing, so why did he take off his headphones to talk to you?]
The system thought it was a bit peculiar.
‘For the sake of politeness, I guess,’ Chu Qianze casually replied. He sat down beside Dou Xi and pointed to the hedgehog-haired guy. “Did you see that guy? He chose the second part, just like you.”
Dou Xi nodded, running his fingers over the lyrics in the booklet.
“Can you outshine him?”
Author has something to say:
Chu Qianze: I hold grudges.
