MMJWQC Chapter 2

Fang Ming took over Jiang Qiao’s group of trainees for a year. In his impression, Chu Ruochun was a quiet person. In order to earn the meager trainee salary, he endured being bullied by Jiang Qiao and others without fighting back.

In the initial training, he witnessed Jiang Qiao and a few of his close friends bullying Chu Ruochun. They intentionally broke his phone, and if Chu Ruochun didn’t eat spicy food, they would deliberately scoop extra spicy chili sauce onto his plate. During training sessions, when Chu Ruochun was practicing, they secretly poured white vinegar into his water bottle. They had various tricks to bully him.

Chu Ruochun actually mentioned this to Fang Ming two or three times in the beginning. Fang Ming also warned Jiang Qiao initially, but Jiang Qiao was the boss’s nephew, so the matter was brushed aside. Fang Ming was just an employee and didn’t want to offend the boss for Chu Ruochun. When Chu Ruochun brought up these issues again, Fang Ming stopped getting involved. He wasn’t an elementary school teacher who dealt with reports from adults. After that, Chu Ruochun became increasingly silent and focused all his energy on training.

Chu Ruochun was undoubtedly the top student among this group of trainees in his hands. He was obedient and easy to control. If it weren’t for the unfortunate encounter with Jiang Qiao, Fang Ming would have allocated most of his resources to Chu Ruochun. It could only be blamed on Chu Ruochun’s bad luck.

991 is an opportunity for these trainees to make their debut. Now, they’ve already gone through more than half of it. Most of the company’s resources are invested in Jiang Qiao. Chu Ruochun is just a side note. However, he is exceptionally talented, and his looks speak for themselves. Although Jiang Qiao and a few trainees from Qingju company are too lazy to interact with him, his performance is quite good. With the program halfway through, he’s now ranked among the top twelve in popularity. With a little more company promotion, he could break into the top nine in the next stage. Debuting is not a problem.

Still the same, Chu Ruochun’s luck is just too bad, and Jiang Qiao had a fight with Lu Qing.

The competition between the two companies in various contexts is an undeniable fact. Jiang Qiao and Lu Qing are currently leading in rankings, one being the most popular, and the other in eighth place. Moreover, their trending topics have been overwhelming recently. Apart from the early fans they acquired, their Weibo followers have been increasing as the program progresses.

For the sake of Jiang Qiao’s reputation, Fang Ming can only push Chu Ruochun out to take the blame.

He was used to Chu Ruochun’s silence and never felt the need to consult him until he heard Chu Ruochun’s vehement objection.

Suddenly, he resisted.

In front of so many people, Fang Ming didn’t want to lose face. He suppressed the anger welling up inside him and said, “Chu, consider the bigger picture.”

Chu Ruochun stated a fact that everyone deliberately ignored, “It’s not me who fought.”

But no one cared. Youyu Company didn’t care, the program team just wanted to quell the incident, and who apologized didn’t matter as long as someone did. As for the Qingju Company, they only wanted to protect Jiang Qiao.

Chu Ruochun looked at Lu Qing, “You know the truth.”

Lu Qing glanced at his phone and ignored Chu Ruochun’s plea for a fair resolution. He was the first to leave, thinking that once the matter was resolved, it wouldn’t concern him anymore. His manager, Song Yi, also left with him. Before leaving, she emphasized to Fang Ming, “Fang Ming, resolve your company’s internal matters as soon as possible.”

The chief director also left. It’s common knowledge that the Weibo accounts of the company’s trainees are controlled by the company. In this matter, Chu Ruochun had no say; it all depended on the company’s actions.”

Chu Ruochun didn’t feel disappointed by their departure; he seemed to be stating a fact: “You will regret today’s decision.”

His words didn’t catch anyone’s attention; they fell on deaf ears.

Only three people from Qingju Company remained in the room.

Jiang Qiao looked at Chu Ruochun disdainfully and said, “Don’t make meaningless struggles. If I were you, I’d announce my withdrawal now and prepare to come back next year. Oh, wait, you don’t have money, but you think you’re a great dancer, right? Then go do commercial performances, and participate in street competitions. What if you win a prize? Ming Ge, remind the assistant to bring the game console later. It’s too boring here.” He said the last sentence to Fang Ming.

After saying that, he also got up and left.

In the end, only Fang Ming and Chu Ruochun were left.

Fang Ming no longer had the initial sympathy for Chu Ruochun. “Chu, there’s no room for negotiation in this matter. It’s the company’s decision, and I know you’ve been wronged. The company will compensate you from elsewhere.”

Chu Ruochun calmly replied, “After the apology statement is issued, I’ll be labeled as having a violent tendency. My path in the entertainment industry will be over. This is unfair to me.”

Fang Ming told him, “Entering society means facing these realities. Without connections, you’ll bear more of society’s unfairness. Jiang Qiao is the boss’s nephew, and you can’t be unaware of that.”

Chu Ruochun suddenly chuckled and repeated the word ‘connections.’ “So it’s about connections.”

“As for what happens next, the company will handle it. If you want to withdraw, the company will arrange other work for you.” Surprisingly, Fang Ming didn’t dare to look at the faint smile on Chu Ruochun’s face. A face that had been expressionless suddenly displayed emotions, which was quite dazzling.

He thought for a moment and warned him, “You better not do anything unnecessary. The company will minimize the damage to you.”

Chu Ruochun still asked him, “Is there no room for change?”

Fang Ming firmly said, “None.”

In fact, there was, just ignoring the online community, but they needed to keep their fans and benefit from their contributions. Sacrificing Chu Ruochun was the best way.

Chu Ruochun said, “Have you ever heard the saying, ‘A good word is hard to persuade a damn ghost¹means that some people are so stubborn or set in their ways that no matter how nicely or persuasively you speak to them, they won’t change their behavior or opinions. It implies that it’s challenging to convince someone who is resistant or uncooperative, no matter how reasonable or well-intentioned your arguments may be.‘?”

Fang Ming felt that Chu Ruochun might have been infuriated to the point of confusion. “Chu, don’t forget, you still need to support your brother’s education. Go back and rest properly, I’ll have the finance department send you more appearance fees this month.”

He was threatened.

Chu Ruochun only said, shaking his head, “You will regret today’s decision.”

Fang Ming replied, “I won’t regret any decision I’ve made.”

Several times, words on the verge of coming out of Chu Ruochun’s throat rolled around, but in the end, he didn’t speak them.

Ten minutes later, the apology Weibo to Lu Qing was still posted.

While the training camp of 991 remained calm, the online world was anything but calm. Today became a celebration for Lu Qing’s fans. Under this Weibo post, they hurled even more vehement insults. And Chu Ruochun’s already limited number of fans who had been supporting him dared not speak up anymore.

— Admit it already, won’t that settle it?

— Chu Ruochun, get out of 991!

— Did you apologize to my brother in person?

— Such a person doesn’t deserve to be an idol! @991 official Weibo, please let Chu Ruochun withdraw!

— Withdraw!

The demand for Chu Ruochun’s withdrawal grew louder, and it quickly trended.

At this moment, Chu Ruochun was called to training.

Their dormitory and the training room were in two different buildings, separated by a corridor. Outside this corridor were fans who had come to cheer for the various trainees.

At the same time as Chu Ruochun, other trainees were heading to the training area. The other trainees received words of encouragement, but Chu Ruochun received nothing but malicious comments.

A short-haired girl wearing a black mask threw a tomato directly at him: “Chu Ruochun, violent maniac! Withdraw!”

The clothes she wore had a cartoon version of Lu Qing’s profile picture on them. She was a fan of Lu Qing.

Lu Qing had the highest popularity on the show, and there were many fans outside as well. When one person shouted for withdrawal, others joined in, and even fans of other trainees were stirred by the atmosphere and began to express their dissatisfaction.

“Chu Ruochun, withdraw!”

“Chu Ruochun, get out of 991 and give the other trainees a peaceful training environment!”

“Chu Ruochun, withdraw! Give the other brothers a peaceful training environment!”

The tomato didn’t hit Chu Ruochun; he tilted his head to avoid it. The soft tomato splattered on the ground, leaving a puddle of red liquid that resembled blood.

The trainees who were close to Chu Ruochun tried to distance themselves as much as possible and quickly walked toward the training building.

However, Chu Ruochun, as if nothing had happened, walked into the building with the other trainees. He didn’t say anything, maintaining his initial silent persona.

The sky was dark, and dark clouds seemed to press down. Not far from Chu Ruochun, Jiang Qiao, who had previously been arrogant and self-assured, now wore a friendly face, expressing concern for his fans.

“It’s going to rain soon, everyone, please go home quickly. Don’t get soaked; I’ll be worried.”

The fans were delighted.

“Alright, Qiao Bao, take care of yourself, don’t push too hard!”

“We’ll vote for you, so be sure to do your best!”

Sure enough, the sky began to drizzle.

The fans who had come to support by car nearly got soaked but quickly returned to their vehicles.

Inside the training room, Lu Qing was still the center of attention, surrounded by Qingju trainees. The sparks were still flying between the two sides.

Some sympathized with Chu Ruochun, some thought he was unlucky, but no one cared enough to say a word to him. Even his fellow group members in training didn’t want to talk to him.

Chu Ruochun, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. Singing and dancing were never his profession, and he actually wanted to withdraw, but he couldn’t leave the show covered in mud.

Considering that Chu Ruochun had excellent singing and dancing skills and the ability to pick up choreography quickly, nobody forced him to cooperate during training.

He looked out of the window, where the rain was pouring heavily. It was only two in the afternoon, but the sky was as dark as night. The room’s temperature suddenly dropped, and the trainees, who had been sweating just moments ago in their thin clothing, now felt shivers running down their spines.

“It’s so cold. Who turned on the air conditioning?” someone couldn’t bear it and asked.

“It wasn’t turned on. I thought it was hot just a moment ago.”

“Does anyone have an extra jacket? Let me borrow it.”

Ding Zhaozhao, a trainee who had already been eliminated but was collaborating with the program, came in with a handheld camera!

“Long time no see, everyone!”

Ding Zhaozhao had a slightly different appearance and wasn’t particularly good at singing and dancing, but he had decent popularity among the trainees. He also had hosting skills and was currently acting as an interviewer on the show. He was live-streaming to please the program’s fans, claiming it as a bonus.

In fact, everyone had learned earlier in the morning from the staff that someone would come for a live stream in the afternoon.

Except for Chu Ruochun, everyone gathered around, trying to make an appearance and win over fans for more exposure.

Ding Zhaozhao intentionally turned the camera toward Chu Ruochun, whom he wasn’t very familiar with. However, today’s hot search topics were about him and Lu Qing.

Ding Zhaozhao deliberately asked, “Hey, Ruochun, how’s your dance practice going?”

The barrage of comments started overflowing with insults directed at Chu Ruochun, very conspicuous. Qingju didn’t care about Chu Ruochun’s reputation, and Fang Ming’s promises to Chu Ruochun were just empty words. However, Chu Ruochun’s face had barely appeared on the live stream for less than three seconds when the lights in the training room suddenly went out.

“What the hell? What’s happening?”

“Did the power trip?”

“It’s only four in the afternoon. Why did it suddenly get dark?”

“Does anyone have a phone with a flashlight? Shine some light.”

Someone used their phone as a flashlight, but the phone’s light seemed to be swallowed by a mist-like haze, and even at maximum brightness, it couldn’t illuminate well.

For a while, the training room was filled with an eerie atmosphere, and goosebumps covered the trainees’ arms.

At this moment, the door of the training room was suddenly knocked.

One knock, two knocks, three knocks…

The door was pushed open, and everyone, through the faint light, could see who had opened the door—it was Chu Ruochun.

Chu Ruochun offered them a faint smile and spoke at an extremely slow pace, “Outside, there is no one.”

The trainees’ hearts tightened, and six or seven of them instinctively huddled together. Ding Zhaozhao’s camera was almost slipping from his grasp.

Now, they all had a question in their minds: Who had knocked on the door just now?

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  means that some people are so stubborn or set in their ways that no matter how nicely or persuasively you speak to them, they won’t change their behavior or opinions. It implies that it’s challenging to convince someone who is resistant or uncooperative, no matter how reasonable or well-intentioned your arguments may be.