CH 31.1

Just as Jian Xingsui returned to the dormitory, he saw Wen Shengge saying his goodbyes. 

Seeing that Jian Xingsui was back, Wen Shengge smiled kindly and said, “Suisui, I’m leaving.”

Jian Xingsui was already sad after receiving a phone call from his agent, and now, he had to face the reality of his good friend and roommate leaving. He became even more unhappy. 

Jian Xingsui took a deep breath and said to him, “We must keep in touch after all of this.”

Wen Shengge nodded, “For sure.”

Shen Xingchen sat on the edge of the upper bunk bed and said, “Don’t worry, you can’t leave now, anyways. It’s already night so all the gates are tightly locked.” 

This sentence knocked down the original warm atmosphere into pieces.

Wen Shengge carried his suitcase, looked around at his friends and said, “Although I was eliminated, I really hope that you three can go further until debut. In fact, you don’t have to feel sorry for me, my agency had already lined me up with several acting jobs for web dramas. It should be pretty good, a job is a job in the end. Besides, I will participate in other variety shows in the future, and I will still get paid. I don’t need to force myself and pretend to do crazy things in front of the audience to ensure my quality of life. Look, I’m actually pretty relaxed.” 

Wen Shengge looked at Jian Xingsui again and said, “As for Chen-ge, he doesn’t have to worry, his final ranking definitely won’t be bad. I’m more worried about Suisui and Ze-ge.”

Ning Ze sat on the edge of the bed and said in a deep voice, “Don’t worry about me.”

“I can’t.” Wen Shengge shook his head, “Ze-ge, you are already 28 years old this year, the oldest here with us. I know that this variety show is your last chance, if you fail to make your debut… maybe you will have to give up this path.”

At 28 years old, he was considered very old as a rookie idol group member.

Ning Ze was usually taciturn, maybe not many people have noticed him, but Wen Shengge understood how difficult Ning Ze has been through ups and downs these years. He didn’t accept unspoken rules, he couldn’t charm someone out with his words, he didn’t have special talent. However, he loved the stage very, very much.

But, he always got eliminated in the end. 

This time, “Starlight” was really Ning Ze’s last chance. 

Wen Shengge said, “Ze-ge, you must not give up, and you must be more selfish to get more screen time. There are six debut positions this time, and I heard there’s only one of them that’s still unconfirmed. It is reserved for a popular trainee. You can win this position.” 

Ning Ze’s lips curled into a smile, and he finally nodded.

Wen Shengge looked at Jian Xingsui again, he sighed and said, “Suisui, I’m actually worried about you the most.”

Jian Xingsui said softly, “Why is that?”

“You have always been under a lot of pressure, right ? Now that you are the third ranked trainee, you will face even more public criticism.” Wen Shengge understood his struggle. He continued, “Especially if your agency doesn’t give its all to support you. Your future road will not be an easy path to thread.”

“You know… sometimes I find you looking lost in your thoughts. I know you’re the type who keeps your feelings tight inside your heart. Somehow, I think I could understand what bothers you. But still, if you encounter something you can’t face by yourself, you need to learn to talk to others. Discuss it, tell others about it, and maybe you’ll get the answer to that trouble. Ze-ge and Chen-ge are trustworthy people, don’t you think?”

Wen Shengge’s words softened Jian Xingsui’s heart.

Jian Xingsui felt his nose was a little sour, and replied with a soft whisper, “I know, I know, I will do as you say. Take care of yourself.”

Shen Xingchen who was still sitting on his bed said, “Hey hey hey! Don’t act like you’re going to die or never see us again in this life! It’s enough that we can’t get together every now and then on this show.”

Despite his seemingly callous words, everyone could hear the shakiness of Shen Xingchen’s words.

Having said that, everyone knew that after this show, it would be a monumental task for all four of them to gather and chat around like this. The days where they could laugh all day and only moan about training were ending sooner or later. 

This kind of parting is happening in every dormitory.

Before all the contestants could react and adjust, the next day came with the second stage’s group and music selection. All the contestants were called together and waited anxiously.

When they arrived at the assembly hall, they felt the difference. This place was usually crowded to the brim, but now it suddenly became much more spacious. Before, everyone would complain about the lack of space. But now when there’s suddenly enough space, nobody could bring themselves to smile. 

As the trainees continued to whisper to one another, the instructors came inside one by one. 

Fu Jinxiao usually wears a white sportswear, but today he changed into a black one. The black loose coat made him look calmer and subdued. His hairstyle was also much more casual than usual. It was parted naturally, styled with a slight wave, and tucked behind his ears. He completed the look with a gold-rimmed spectacle, making him like a retro-styled gentleman.

Every trainee suddenly remembered the netizens’ evaluation of this actor: he’s a man who can live off his looks alone, but he chose to rely on his acting strength instead. 

Fu Jinxiao picked up his microphone and said in a calm tone, “Is everyone here?”

The trainees came back to their senses and said in unison: “All here!”

Fu Jinxiao nodded in response, then he began to say, “First of all, congratulations on entering the second stage. However, this is not something worth relaxing. Because, what you will face next are more brutal training and harsher selection. I hope that everyone will realize that from today onwards, you have to be mentally prepared for every step of the way.” 

When he was this serious, no one dared to deny him otherwise.

Almost all the trainees put away some of their other thoughts, stood up and answered, “Yes!”

Then Instructor Li came out to ease the atmosphere. He spoke with a more cheerful tone, “We are going to select your second stage’s music performance today. The second selection itself will be different than before. We have increased the competition between groups – that is to say, it will be a battle between groups. Lastly, we have added a ‘creative group1’ for this stage.” 

Some trainees became excited when they heard it. 

“The creative group is a very special group. They will not get any song to choose from. The trainees in the group need to complete everything, from the lyrics to the melody. You have 7 days total, so anyone who chooses this group will need extra preparation.” Instructor Li didn’t mince his words. He then continued, “If it isn’t completed within these 7days, we will still broadcast it live, and you will have to bear the consequences by yourself. Don’t joke about your future. Don’t choose this group if you have the attitude of wanting to ‘try’ your luck. No zuo no die2 and all that jazz, remember?” 

The audience in the broadcast room laughed.

[Instructor Li is worthy of being called the joyful comedian.] 

[Try your luck and die~]

[How brave are the people who chose this group.]

The moment the microphone was in Fu Jinxiao’s hand once again, everyone quieted. 

Actor Fu scanned the crowd as he spoke, “From now on, let’s start to choose your song and group selection. We’ll do it in descending order of the ranking.”

This rule was undoubtedly favorable for the top-ranked trainees.

Li Xu’an was the first ranking and he chose the creative group.

The second ranked Shen Xingchen chose a song that fits his image. He wasn’t talented in composing, and instead he chose to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses. 

When it was Jian Xingsui’s turn, he chose the creative group with no hesitation.

Tuya nodded, showing a satisfied smile. She had always felt that Jian Xingsui’s composing talent was very high, but she never particularly praised it in public. Instead, she questioned his professional ability in dancing. Now that Jian Xingsui was in the creative group, Tuya was positive it’s time for the youth to flex his musical talents. 

Jian Xingsui stood in the area designated for the creative group. 

Li Xu’an politely smiled and said, “Let’s have a pleasant cooperation.”

Jian Xingsui shook his hand.

What he didn’t expect was that the creative group would be so popular. The fourth ranked Anran also came to the creative group without any hesitation. He smiled sweetly at everyone: “I’m here~” 

Hearing his greeting, Jian Xingsui could only smile in greeting. 

He wasn’t as afraid of Anran as he was before. After going through a lot of things, he became much calmer.

In the first ranking, Zhou Xun’s ranking wasn’t very low. There was no surprise in his choice — In order to follow Anran, he also joined the creative group. The final two members of the group were people who Jian Xingsui was not familiar with.

The six people had wildly different ideas, and it was inevitable that their path would be a rocky one. 

After everyone was divided into groups, the six of them came to the training room assigned to them together, sat on the ground and began to introduce themselves and get to know each other.

The remaining two members introduced themselves:

“Hello, I’m Zhang Jiajia, and I prefer to sing.”

“Hello, I’m Zuo An. I usually rap, street dance, and I can write songs by myself.”

Jian Xingsui and the others also followed suit with their introduction.

As the person with the highest ranking here, Li Xu’an had an inexplicable sense of superiority. He had not yet been elected as the captain, but he had already begun to give our command, “Okay, basically everyone has seen the other’s public performance, so we are all familiar with each other, right? We only have seven days, and the time is very tight, so I won’t say much else. Since we are all members of the creative group, we must have some ideas, yeah? Let’s agree on the theme first, and then we will create a performance to match with it. Besides that, does anyone have anything to say?” 

Zhou Xun said, “I think we should choose a captain first?”

Li Xu’an was very confident: “Then who shall we vote to be the captain? I have experience as a captain before. I think I should be able to lead everyone well.”

Anran smiled slightly, “I also think Xu’an-gege3 can do the job very well.” 

If this was in the past, Jian Xingsui would immediately agree.

But not long ago, he learned that he should not be able to make his debut, and that the stage performance husband may be his last. This changes things.

For many unknown days and nights, he took a pen to write down the emotions in his heart that had nowhere to vent. He wrote many songs, but none of them saw the light of day – they could only end up all dusty on his bookshelf. 

In the previous life, Anran was shining and glowing, while he died of depression when the protagonist was at his peak in life. In this life, he also knew that he might not be a shining person, but this stage may be the last time he could perform in front of his idol and everyone, singing the song he wrote by himself. 

He remembered Wen Shengge’s words: “You have to go on in my place.”

He wanted to perform well on his last stage. He had been passive before, and that could only get him so far. This time, he wanted to be right for himself and for the hope others had placed in him.

Jian Xingsui raised his hand and said, “I also want to run for captaincy.”

I chose ‘creative’ instead of ‘composer’ because they are also required to choreograph the dance as well.

a slang that have the same vibe of “fuck around and find out”. It means “you won’t die if you don’t seek death”

…yes, he called him with ‘gege’