“Huh??”
Upon hearing Chu Qianze’s words, Dou Xi couldn’t control the volume, and his voice immediately echoed throughout the practice room.
After realizing, he covered his mouth with both hands, embarrassed to the point where his face turned completely red. “Brother Chu, are you, are you serious…”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” Chu Qianze bent one leg, leaning back against the wall, completely relaxed.
But these words, these words were just too attention-grabbing…
Dou Xi looked around, seeing everyone in that group staring in their direction, especially the hostile gaze of that guy, who seemed eager to come over and start a fight. Dou Xi blinked desperately, placed a hand on his mouth, and whispered, “Brother Chu, lower your voice a bit.”
“What’s wrong? This is just my normal voice.”
Chu Qianze shifted his gaze to the person with the hedgehog-like hairstyle. “You’ll have a battle with him later. Don’t you want to defeat him?”
“I… He’s much more skilled than me, and, well, I haven’t fully learned the dance yet.” Dou Xi’s voice lowered. Although he wanted to bravely accept the challenge, the reality was different. The opponent had been ranked B twice, while he had received F grades both times. That was the stark truth, the gap in skill.
“Let’s set aside the rest for now. I’m asking you, do you want to win?” Chu Qianze was straightforward.
Dou Xi fell into silence.
Just as Chu Qianze had pointed out, following the current trend, he was destined to be eliminated. His dream was to become an idol, a shining presence on the stage. However, reality proved to be much more challenging than he had ever imagined. Yet, why did he still have to put in so much effort now? Wasn’t it just because he couldn’t accept defeat?
Admitting to being a bit slow in learning things compared to others, Dou Xi clenched his fists tightly. “I…want to.”
The gesture was intense, but the voice was subdued.
What was this, a leak in determination?
Chu Qianze found it amusing, placing a hand on his leg. “Want what? Louder, I can’t hear you.”
“I want to win!” Dou Xi shouted.
“Very good! Daring to state your goal, that’s progress.” Chu Qianze applauded, wearing a slightly satisfied smile.
“…Thank you.”
Right after Dou Xi finished speaking, he suddenly realized what he had done, his eyes widening. Subconsciously, he looked towards the teenager with the hedgehog-like hairstyle.
“Hey, I have a violent temper.”
Because neither of them made an effort to avoid anyone while talking, the leader with the hedgehog-like hairstyle had been paying attention to their conversation from the beginning. But now, it seemed like a direct provocation. He stood up from the ground and was about to walk towards them.
“Leng Jing!”
Rong Jinghe suddenly shouted, stopping Leng Jing’s movement.
Leng Jing didn’t proceed but scratched his head, still feeling disgruntled. He lifted his index finger and pointed it at Dou Xi.
“You, kid. You think you can beat me with that level of skill? Have the guts to wait and see. We’ll meet on stage. I’ll show you what it means to be overwhelmed!”
Dou Xi had never encountered such a situation before, and he instinctively shrunk his neck. Seeing this, Chu Qianze patted his shoulder.
“This Leng Jing comrade, do you know that when you point one finger at others, the other four are pointing at yourself? The statement you just made applies to you as well.”
“You!” Leng Jing was instantly furious. He wanted to rush forward but was restrained by Rong Jinghe.
“What ‘you’? If you can’t speak properly, then keep quiet. Know when to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses, got it?”
Seeing that the other party struggled to produce a complete sentence, Chu Qianze found it uninteresting, feeling like he was bullying a kid.
Picking up the lyric book and focusing on more important matters, he said, “Now, explain your situation.”
Maintaining a serious expression, he looked at Dou Xi. “Since you want to beat him, we need to adjust the plan. It might be more demanding than it is now, even much more tiring. But if you persist, it will be effective. Of course, if you don’t want to change the plan, that’s fine too. After all, it’s ultimately up to you, and I respect your choice.”
“Just like you said before, this might be the last stage, and I want to do something different, at least, at least…” Dou Xi’s speech was a bit hesitant. He struggled to express his thoughts, feeling a sense of urgency but stumbling more as a result.
He suddenly looked up to apologize but found Chu Qianze gazing at him. There was no impatience or urgency in that look, just patience.
His heart quieted down. “At least leave behind a unique performance on the stage, something for everyone to remember me by. So, I want to follow your training plan, even if it means working harder.”
Ah, what an endearing kid.
Chu Qianze smiled and ruffled his hair. “I understand. Let’s talk about your daily plan from now on.”
Dou Xi became mentally tense, picking up pen and paper to take notes.
“He’s about to be eliminated himself, and he talks about helping someone else win against me. He really thinks highly of himself,” Leng Jing sneered. Seeing Rong Jinghe looking in the direction of Chu Qianze, he thought he might be affected by the conversation and playfully remarked, “Brother Jinghe, what are you looking at? Don’t worry, with their current state, we’ll definitely win.”
Rong Jinghe redirected his gaze, but the image of Chu Qianze reaching out to pat Dou Xi’s head lingered in his mind. Dou Xi’s face turned slightly red, as if he were shy. The two of them sat close, appearing quite intimate.
Somehow, a slight restlessness surfaced in his heart, like the stifling feeling before a rainstorm.
As if the scene shouldn’t be like that; it should be something else…
What kind of something else?
Disturbed by Leng Jing’s words, the thoughts that were about to emerge retreated as if startled. He lifted his eyes and happened to see the arrogant expression on Leng Jing’s face. “Don’t get complacent,” he warned.
“Hahaha, of course, I’ll definitely dance seriously.” He said so, but his expression was full of disdain.
Originally, he was just giving a reminder as they were in the same group. If the other party didn’t take it seriously, Rong Jinghe had no intention of repeating himself. This person was currently quite reckless, though Rong Jinghe didn’t know what had made him so.
“It’s too crowded, move over a bit.”
He raised his hand to ask the person to keep some distance and added, “I’m not used to being too close to people.”
Encountering resistance, Leng Jing’s expression soured a bit, but he quickly forced a smile. “Oh, I see. My bad.”
Even if he was arrogant, he knew when to pick his battles. In the entertainment industry, he had learned that there were people you could mess with and people you couldn’t. Seniors like Rong Jinghe, with a certain fan base and connections, were different from amateurs like Dou Xi and Chu Qianze. Given his current position, it was better not to provoke unnecessary conflicts.
Seeing the person move away, Rong Jinghe didn’t press the issue further. Instead, he stood up and said, “Let’s practice once we’ve rested. The others haven’t returned yet, so we’ll run through it first. We can evaluate the overall feel when everyone is back.”
On the other side, Chu Qianze had already explained the general training plan. “That’s roughly it. Can you handle it?”
Dou Xi stared at his notes, silently swallowing a gulp of saliva.
“If you find it too challenging, we can tone it down a bit,” Chu Qianze said nonchalantly.
“No need to reduce it, I can do it!” Dou Xi held the notes to his chest, his face full of determination.
“Alright, then let’s do our best. I’m counting on you,” Chu Qianze stretched lazily, glancing at himself in the mirror. Rong Jinghe was also checking himself in the mirror, and their eyes met.
Rong Jinghe nodded slightly, then casually turned his gaze back to observe the training of the others.
Chu Qianze refocused on his own hands.
At seven o’clock, everyone began their respective training.
By the time the training sessions ended, it was already midnight.
Chu Qianze always adhered to a schedule, and at this hour, it was time for sleep. After repeating the key points everyone needed to pay attention to, he clapped his hands, revealing the familiar smile to the group. “That’s it for today’s training. You can go back and rest. Tomorrow morning, as usual. If you still want to practice on your own, that’s fine, but make sure you have enough energy for the next day and won’t disrupt the daytime schedule.”
“That’s it for now. I’m heading out. Goodnight, everyone~”
“Thank you, Brother Chu.”
“You’ve worked even harder.”
Waving his hand, Chu Qianze picked up the lyric book and quickly left.
Watching the members of Chu Qianze’s group who had already finished, Rong Jinghe’s team seemed somewhat envious.
“After practicing three times, we’ll go back and rest. Those who want to continue can stay for additional training.”
Seeing that everyone was indeed quite tired, Rong Jinghe didn’t force them. He understood the importance of balancing work and rest.
After Chu Qianze left, he didn’t immediately return to his dorm. Instead, he went to the cafeteria and grabbed a cup of milk. Returning to his dorm, the room was still dark.
“Is anyone here?”
Turning on the nearby light, Chu Qianze took a shower.
Half an hour passed, and there was still no sign of anyone.
Biting the straw, Chu Qianze lay on the table doing nothing when he suddenly heard the sound of the door opening.
Looking up, he saw Rong Jinghe walking in.
“You finished quite early today,” Chu Qianze spoke first.
“We practiced late yesterday, and people weren’t in great shape today, so I decided to end it early.”
Rong Jinghe closed the door, placed his water cup and bag on the table, and opened the wardrobe to find his clothes. “Don’t take Leng Jing’s words to heart too much,” he said.
Chu Qianze turned slightly and looked at the person beside him. “What did he say?”
His mind was still occupied with what he needed to discuss with the eight members tomorrow, so his question to Rong Jinghe was somewhat absent-minded.
But he quickly realized he had asked a foolish question, saying, “I didn’t really care. Talking about victory or defeat before a competition is quite common, nothing to pay much attention to.”
Rong Jinghe’s motion of finding his sleepwear paused. He wasn’t sure why he chose this topic as the opening of their conversation. Seeing that Chu Qianze indeed didn’t care, he didn’t know what else to say and just gave a perfunctory response.
“In fact, it’s Leng Jing’s own business. You don’t need to get involved.” After finishing the last sip of milk, Chu Qianze played with the empty carton in his hand.
“…I just don’t want things to escalate.”
Rong Jinghe picked up his sleepwear.
He just didn’t want things to escalate, that’s all.
“You can rest assured about that. As long as no one stirs up trouble, our group won’t actively seek problems.” Chu Qianze threw the carton into the trash, picked up his toothbrush and toothpaste from the side, preparing to head to the bathroom.
Seeing that Rong Jinghe still had his sleepwear in hand, Chu Qianze, who was about to move forward, stopped abruptly. “Are you going first?”
“You go first; I take a long time to shower.” Rong Jinghe put down his sleepwear.
“Sure, I won’t be polite then.”
Smirking, Chu Qianze headed to the bathroom.
Rong Jinghe sat in a chair, staring blankly at the things in his hands.
Seven minutes later, Chu Qianze emerged. “I’m done.”
He placed his belongings in the cabinet and climbed up the stairs next to it. “Goodnight, get some rest~”
“Okay, goodnight.” Seeing Chu Qianze pull down the bed curtain, Rong Jinghe walked into the bathroom. His gaze paused at the door lock, and he finally secured it.
“No, the pitch is too high.”
“You were a bit slow just now.”
“Interrupting this guy’s rhythm.”
“Dou Xi, you went off-key just now.”
Running, dancing, singing, and group rehearsals.
As time passed, everyone’s coordination improved, but the commonality was the inconsistency in performance—extremely inconsistent. What was practiced well today might be forgotten the next day, which was quite frustrating.
It was evident that as the performance date approached, the psychological pressure on everyone increased. They were worried about making mistakes or unexpected incidents, though they didn’t show it on the surface. However, the emotional tension was palpable.
Chu Qianze didn’t have much to say about this matter. In the end, they had to rely on themselves.
Finally, the day before the performance arrived. Everyone went on stage for the rehearsal in order.
As the time for his own group approached, Chu Qianze made a final inquiry, “How does it feel?”
“A bit nervous,” Dou Xi said, clutching his chest. He had never performed on such a big stage before.
“And you guys?”
“Excited.”
“Nervous.”
“Are we really going to perform up there?”
Upon hearing this, Chu Qianze looked back and said, “Not only do you have to perform up there, but the audience below will also be full.”
The staff reminded them that after Rong Jinghe finished his rehearsal, it would be Chu Qianze’s turn. They were advised to prepare backstage in advance.
Sensing the unusually tense atmosphere around, Chu Qianze clapped his hands together and attracted everyone’s attention. “Don’t overthink it later, just follow the training we’ve done before.”
Rong Jinghe led a few people off the stage. “It’s your turn now.”
At the same moment, the staff waved on stage, signaling for them to hurry up.
When the two teams met, Leng Jing stepped out and attempted to bump shoulders with the other side.
Chu Qianze pulled Dou Xi to the side and moved slightly to avoid the collision.
Rong Jinghe noticed and furrowed his brow, “Leng Jing!”
Upon hearing Rong Jinghe’s words, Leng Jing playfully grinned at him. However, his actions didn’t stop, and he was then grabbed by the shoulder. Subsequently, a sudden pain surged through his entire body, causing him to stagger.
Chu Qianze, showing concern, supported him and pushed him back. “Be careful, brother.”
“It hurts so much!” Leng Jing yelled loudly, looking at Chu Qianze with a bit of fierceness in his gaze.
“Oh,” Chu Qianze released his hand. “I didn’t do anything; don’t try to frame me.”
“My shoulder is definitely bruised by you; I’ll report this. You’re willfully injuring people.” Leng Jing pulled down his shoulder strap, but there was nothing there.
Upon hearing this, Rong Jinghe finally couldn’t hold back. He stood between the two, facing Leng Jing directly. “Have you had enough of causing trouble?! If you don’t want to participate in the performance, leave early. Don’t create problems here! Everyone is diligently rehearsing, what have you been doing during this time? Don’t you have any self-awareness?”
“Yeah… not practicing every day, just finding faults.”
“Interrupting the beat is one thing, but you didn’t even get the whole formation right.”
“You even sang the wrong lyrics during the rehearsal.”
With Rong Jinghe starting, other team members also chimed in, indicating that they had long harbored grievances against this person.
Leng Jing couldn’t maintain his composure, but he also knew that continuing would be detrimental to himself. Seeing the expressions of the others, he suppressed his inner frustration and forced out a smile, “I was too impulsive just now, sorry about that.”
Enjoying the show, Chu Qianze didn’t bring up the topic again, simply saying, “Let’s go up.”
Waving his hand, Chu Qianze led the team onto the stage.
In front of everyone’s eyes, he couldn’t use any extraordinary means. Just upholding the camaraderie among trainees, he pressed a point on Leng Jing, not expecting the other person to react so dramatically. If it hurts, it’s not his fault, well, that’s life…
‘This guy has kidney deficiency.’
[What?]
‘He has serious kidney deficiency.’
[Can’t tell.]
‘He wears makeup every day, can’t judge by appearances.’
[…]
‘This episode is full of explosive material; the director must be thrilled.’
‘However, due to policy reasons and the need to respond to the mainstream, emphasizing positive energy, this segment probably won’t be aired in its entirety. Let’s see how they choose in the later stages; they are probably quite conflicted. Haha, suddenly feeling some anticipation.’
The system, curious about the truth of this statement, went to check with the director and happened to hear him worrying about editing issues.
Unable to assess the situation, it simply blurted out.
[Host is awesome.]
‘I’m just like that.’
A somewhat insincere humility.
However, some proud emotions were successfully broken during the rehearsal process.
Rehearsal ended.
Dou Xi sat on the ground, running his fingers through his hair with obvious anxiety.
“Sorry, Brother Chu, I couldn’t hit the high notes towards the end. I even cracked,” he said, feeling apologetic.
“Practice a bit more on your own.” Chu Qianze didn’t blame them; this group of people was putting too much pressure on themselves.
The remaining few also had some issues, more or less. Although things looked okay in the rehearsal room, it all fell apart on stage. It seemed like nervousness was getting to them.
“Don’t put too much pressure on yourselves. You’ve been rehearsing for a long time, and yesterday in the practice room, you did great. Keep a calm mindset, don’t overthink things. Lift your heads, don’t lose heart. Don’t stay up late practicing tonight; go back, get some rest, do something that makes you happy, get into a good state, and welcome tomorrow’s performance with your best self.”
“Don’t forget our original intention. We are using this performance to showcase ourselves. We started from the bottom, barefooted even. What are you afraid of? From what I’ve seen, you’ve improved so much compared to before. You’re already doing great. Have confidence in yourselves!”
Chu Qianze walked past them, finally reaching the center and extending his right hand: “Come on, let’s get motivated.”
Dou Xi hesitated for a moment and said softly, “Well, I still can’t believe in myself right now. But, Brother Chu, I believe in you.”
After saying that, he took the lead in placing his hand on Chu Qianze’s.
Chu Qianze was initially surprised, then chuckled lightly, saying, “That’s quite a statement.”
“Brother Chu, I also believe in you. In tomorrow’s competition, we will perform exceptionally well!” Another person shouted.
Just a moment ago, their faces were full of frustration, and now they had adjusted their mindset, confidently declaring they would perform exceptionally well.
“Very good, I like your determination!”
“Brother Chu, I’ll keep it up!”
“Yeah, yeah.” Chu Qianze responded.
One hand after another joined in, pressing down firmly and then rising abruptly.
“We will win for sure!”
This scene was faithfully recorded by the camera.
At night, following the routine, Chu Qianze went to the cafeteria for a late-night snack. Feeling joyful today, he ordered a variety of dishes, even adding a cup of soy milk.
Carrying the packed items, he headed outside, looking up at the night sky filled with stars. Somehow, he felt like going to the rooftop.
As he placed the straw into the cup, Chu Qianze drank while ascending to the rooftop. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, the night breeze flowed in, lifting the hem of his clothes.
With his fingertips brushing across his forehead, he swept the stray hair covering his vision to the side. Protecting the late-night snacks in his hands, Chu Qianze arrived at the rooftop, where the wind was even stronger.
Having found a nearby spot, Chu Qianze placed the soy milk beside him, opened the packaging, and began to eat the chicken roll.
He must say, the soft and delicate dough combined with the crispy chicken was just right, complemented by fresh lettuce and salad dressing—it was simply a divine combination.
Just as he finished eating the chicken roll in his hand, Chu Qianze prepared to take a sip of soy milk when he suddenly caught a faint sound.
It sounded like sobbing?
What’s going on?
Countless horror movie plots about the rooftop flashed through his mind, truly exhilarating.
He crumpled the wrapper of the chicken roll in his hand into a ball and stood up, heading towards the source of the sound.
Turning a corner, he arrived at the other side of the rooftop. The figure in a white shirt came into view. This situation matched even more closely with his memory.
Silently walking over, Chu Qianze extended his hand and slapped the person’s shoulder directly. “Hey!”
Startled, the person turned around abruptly.
“Rong Jinghe?”
No tears, no cries—far from what he imagined. Chu Qianze forced a smile. “What are you doing here?”
“Vocal practice.”
Rong Jinghe exhaled, pushing back the shock he had just experienced. “How come you walk so quietly?”
“It’s a personal habit.”
Chu Qianze sat down beside him and remarked, “This practice is quite unique, almost like crying. I thought something happened.”
The truth was revealed, and there was nothing to investigate. It wasn’t as amusing as he had imagined.
“I came up with this method myself. Although the sound is a bit strange, the effect is good.”
Chu Qianze understood, “So you practice on the rooftop at this time.”
Hit the nail on the head.
Rong Jinghe fell silent for a moment, lifting his head to gaze at the stars.
Chu Qianze handed over the Family Bucket in his hands. “Would you like one?”
“Thanks.” Rong Jinghe picked up a piece and took a bite.
“The taste is quite good.”
“Indeed.” Chu Qianze carried a hint of pride, as if he had made the food himself.
Rong Jinghe chuckled softly, not saying much. After finishing the food in hand, Chu Qianze let out a sigh, feeling truly satisfied.
“Tonight, I can sleep well again.”
Standing up, patting off the dust on his backside, Chu Qianze tidied up the trash. “Are you planning to continue practicing?”
Nodding, Rong Jinghe said, “The performance is tomorrow, so I want to adjust my condition a bit.”
“What’s the principle behind this vocal practice? Can you explain it?”
“Do you want to give it a try?” Rong Jinghe asked.
“Well,” Chu Qianze hesitated for a moment. Although he was curious about the principle, the pronunciation and everything seemed too strange. Ultimately, curiosity triumphed over all.
“Teach me then.”
Rong Jinghe explained briefly and then demonstrated it.
“It’s basically like what I did. Give it a try?”
“Simple enough, watch me,” Chu Qianze cleared his throat, opening his mouth wide. “Ah—”
Rong Jinghe suppressed a smile, his lips curling up and then pressing down, a cycle of inner struggle.
“If you want to laugh, just laugh. Why hold it in? I’ll allow you to laugh because I want to laugh too, hahaha.” Chu Qianze leaned backward, imitating once again.
The night breeze carried a hint of chill, and the dim lights at the stairwell spilled outside, providing a faint glow for the two.
It was hard to imagine that two people preparing for a competition the next day would be sitting side by side on the rooftop, chatting so joyfully.
“It’s getting late, should we go back?” Chu Qianze asked.
“Sure, let’s go together,” Rong Jinghe agreed.
After turning off the dormitory lights, Rong Jinghe prepared to set the alarm clock when he suddenly noticed that the hands seemed to be still. Adjusting it again, he realized that it wasn’t moving at all. He got down from the bed, changed the battery, but it remained the same.
The alarm clock was broken… Why now?
Helpless, he approached Chu Qianze’s bed and gently pulled back his curtain.
“Are you asleep?”
At this moment, Chu Qianze was leaning against the pillow. Upon hearing the question, he opened the curtain and looked outside, “What’s wrong?”
“My alarm clock is broken,”
Because the two people next to him were already fast asleep, Rong Jinghe spoke in a quieter voice, “Can you wake me up tomorrow morning?”
“No problem,” Chu Qianze responded.
“Thank you.”
Rong Jinghe placed the alarm clock on the table and returned to his original bed.
While organizing his things, he suddenly heard a faint sound coming from the foot of the bed. He sat up, approached Chu Qianze’s side. “What’s wrong?”
“Good luck tomorrow,” Chu Qianze said.
The unique tone in Chu Qianze’s words made people feel a tingling sensation.
“Okay,” Rong Jinghe responded softly. “You too.”
Perhaps because the atmosphere tonight was too delicate, very rare, he didn’t want to think about victory or defeat, just wanted to quietly enjoy the moment.
“Of course, we will definitely win.”
The atmosphere was shattered, and Rong Jinghe calmed down.
“The only ones winning will be us.”
“You’re dreaming beautifully,” Chu Qianze retorted.
Rong Jinghe chuckled, “It’s not daytime now.”
Don’t daydream.
Chu Qianze: “Haha. Let me tell you—”
“Don’t mess around, you two. Flirting is fine anytime, but it’s the first live performance! What time is it already? Go to sleep, big brothers!” Hong wailed.
The two fell silent.
The next day, the performance officially began.
The audience entered one by one, live cameras turned on, and online channels connected.
Time’s up, and the host appeared in the center of the stage.
“Hello, everyone! Welcome to the first performance of ‘Debut, Trainee!'”
Watching the broadcast on the screen, Chu Qianze tossed a bottle of mineral water towards Dou Xi, “Stop fidgeting; save some energy.”
“Sorry, Brother Chu.”
Dou Xi sat on the nearby chair, then began shaking his legs vigorously.
“It’s almost your turn; please go backstage and wait now,” the staff prompted.
“Okay, thanks.” Chu Qianze stood up, looking at the surrounding team members. “Did you all hear that? Let’s go.”
Following the rehearsed route, the group waited backstage.
Although they couldn’t see the situation on stage, they could hear the music of “I Am Proud” and the cheers of the audience.
“It feels very different from yesterday,” Dou Xi sighed sincerely.
“Oh, um. Yeah. There are more people than I imagined,” another person said.
At this moment, the music on stage was nearing its end, and Chu Qianze and the others were about to go on.
“Now, let’s welcome the second group performing ‘I Am Proud!'” The host announced from the stage.
Chu Qianze adjusted his coat, looking at his team members. “No more nonsense. Let’s enjoy the stage together.”
With a soft chuckle, he turned and led the way. “Let’s go.”
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