Chapter 37: I Can Teach You
Fang Qingqing and Ming Li were stunned for a full half-minute.
During that time, Xie Xizhao poured himself a glass of water.
He had noticed that the production team had prepared lemon water, and it had been a while since he’d had a sweet drink.
He had barely finished half the glass when Ming Li was the first to snap back to reality.
What did Xie Xizhao mean by that?
It was actually quite easy to understand.
But the underlying meaning was so bold that most people would never dare to even think in that direction.
Xie Xizhao’s implication was clear: the production team had no say in who would get the C-position. Furthermore, if he wanted it, the C-position would certainly be his—no matter how much the production team pushed or didn’t push for him.
After all, no matter how they edited his scenes, they could never truly erase him completely.
As long as he still had his name listed as a contestant on the show, he was confident he could claim the C-position.
Ming Li hadn’t been familiar with Xie Xizhao before, but this was indeed the most confident—and perhaps the most “arrogant”—artist she had ever come across.
But thinking about his meteoric rise in popularity recently, she almost felt…
Maybe it wasn’t that arrogant after all.
She exchanged a glance with Fang Qingqing.
The latter was completely speechless, looking at her with a pleading expression.
After a moment, Ming Li spoke up: “So, all of your individual contracts are still with Yaoxin, right?”
Although this was a minor matter compared to what Xie Xizhao had just said, as employees of Yaoxin, it was indeed the most pressing concern for them.
Xie Xizhao nodded.
“Yes.”
He added, “Our company is quite good.”
He sounded genuine.
Ming Li couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.
No matter how good Yaoxin was, how could it compare to Shenghong?
She was actually Qi Yin’s distant cousin, and she entered the entertainment industry both because it was related to her major and because she had a genuine interest in it. When Xie Xizhao said those words, she couldn’t help but feel a bit touched, and her tone softened considerably.
She said, “Since you trust the company, the company will be your support.”
She paused for a moment before continuing, “When the time comes, we’ll definitely consider things like an individual studio for you.”
Her words were meant to comfort him, and Xie Xizhao was perceptive enough to catch on. He smiled and said, “Thank you, Sister.”
“It’s nothing,” Ming Li sighed. “Since you’ve made your decision, I’ll handle the response with the production team. Qingqing, you and Xizhao can head out first. I’ll contact you once I’m done with the discussion.”
Fang Qingqing nodded in agreement, and she and Xie Xizhao left the room.
—
Once they stepped outside, they saw Ma Hongping and Lu Yan sitting on the sofa, discussing the show’s content.
As their gazes met, Fang Qingqing awkwardly averted her eyes, but Xie Xizhao remained as calm as ever and even took the initiative to greet them. “Brother Ma, Sister Yan, I’ll be leaving now.”
“Alright,” Ma Hongping responded.
Xie Xizhao and Fang Qingqing left the room.
As they walked away, Fang Qingqing asked, “What do you think their reaction will be?”
“I don’t think there’ll be much reaction,” Xie Xizhao replied. “If the negotiations don’t work out, they’ll just cut a few scenes and reduce my screen time.”
He spoke so casually, but Fang Qingqing felt like her heart was bleeding. “Do you know you only have a few seconds of screen time in each episode? If they cut more, I won’t even have any footage left!”
Xie Xizhao was silent for a moment, then thoughtfully said, “Well, if they cut more, at least it’ll mean less work for the editing team, right?”
“That’s not exactly a win,” he added, looking at her.
Fang Qingqing just sighed. “I give up on you.”
“Alright,” she said. “Leave the rest to Sister Li. She’s better at negotiations.”
She grabbed her bag. “Come with me. I’ve brought you some food and supplies. You can take them back to your dorm later, along with some medicine. I’ve noticed you’ve lost more weight watching the show these past few days. It’s not worth it for this stupid show.”
Xie Xizhao blinked.
With an innocent expression, he followed Fang Qingqing.
After he had placed the items Fang Qingqing brought him in the dorm and returned, Ming Li had already finished talking with the two of them.
Xie Xizhao didn’t know exactly how Ming Li had handled the discussion, but no matter what, the core message was rejection. So, seeing the slightly strained smile on Ma Hongping’s face didn’t surprise him.
He didn’t mind that they had a problem with him.
As long as the show still wanted to continue, they wouldn’t show their discontent too clearly.
That’s what’s called a ” face-saving” project.
For Xie Xizhao, that was enough.
—
The next few days, Xie Xizhao enjoyed a rare moment of calm.
Aside from his daily practice, the thing he did most often was go to the gym. At first, he went alone, but eventually, he had a workout partner.
The partner was Fu Wenze.
Fu Wenze, for some reason, always carried a tone and behavior that felt like he was from a different generation—Xie Xizhao found the most accurate word to describe it was “fatherly.”
Not in a derogatory way, though.
Ironically, Fu Wenze also had a rather fierce face, and the outside world tended to think of him as the type of bad boy who would steal away the good students during their adolescence.
Xie Xizhao couldn’t help but laugh whenever he thought about it.
Recently, Fu Wenze had been helping him with his workouts.
To his shame, Xie Xizhao had always been said to be good at everything, but there was one thing he wasn’t very familiar with: fitness.
Because the system had naturally given him a healthy body, he never needed to manage his physique.
The problem now was that his physical strength had recovered about 70–80%, but he still felt weak. Xie Xizhao wanted to improve things like his lung capacity.
He thought Fu Wenze’s physique was perfect.
Fu Wenze’s workout routine was clearly very scientific. He didn’t have exaggerated muscles, but his eight-pack abs were flawless, and he looked broad-shouldered, long-legged, with a slim waist—very hormonally charged.
These past few days, Xie Xizhao had been following Fu Wenze’s workout plan.
During another rest break, Xie Xizhao finally couldn’t hold back and asked enviously, “How did you build up your stamina?”
He had always been a thin person, and even when he played basketball in middle and high school, his physique was nowhere near Fu Wenze’s level.
Fu Wenze evaluated him, “You’re indeed a bit weak.”
Xie Xizhao: “…”
Then he heard Fu Wenze say, “I used to get into fights a lot when I was younger.”
Xie Xizhao: ?
“You probably come from a pretty well-off family, right?” Fu Wenze said. “I heard your parents are both university professors?”
Xie Xizhao answered, “I guess?”
It wasn’t a super rich family, but it was indeed an intellectual household.
“My family wasn’t that well off,” Fu Wenze said briefly. “My parents divorced when I was very young. After my mom had my younger brother, she j*mped off a building. When we were kids, my brother used to go to school, and he was always b*llied.”
He paused for a moment. “He has autism.”
Xie Xizhao was taken aback.
It took him a while before he said, “I’m sorry.”
“Why apologize?” Fu Wenze smiled faintly. “It’s all in the past.”
“I also started practicing rap around that time. You know, those underground battles?” He lowered his head to pack up his gear. “Mostly because I had money. But also, when you’re young and hot-headed, not wanting to lose played a part.”
Xie Xizhao paused for a moment. “You’re really good at rap.”
That was the truth.
If he had to rank the rap skills in the show, aside from himself, Fu Wenze would definitely be the top rapper.
“Thanks,” Fu Wenze said. “I could teach you.”
Xie Xizhao: …
He politely replied, “The last time I heard that line was last time.”
Fu Wenze froze for half a second.
Then he said, “You…”
Xie Xizhao looked innocent.
After a moment, Fu Wenze asked, “How do you do it?”
Xie Xizhao blinked. “Huh?”
Fu Wenze’s expression was deadpan. “Don’t play dumb.”
Xie Xizhao thought for a moment. “Have you ever watched any science programs?”
Fu Wenze went, “Huh?”
“Like ‘9-year-old boy hits his head on a desk and turns into a genius,’ or ’16-year-old boy in a car accident can see things others can’t.'” Xie Xizhao recited seriously.
Then he added, “I’m that 9-year-old boy.”
Fu Wenze: …
The one who’s actually listening carefully is the 9-year-old boy.
He said, “Get up.”
Xie Xizhao: “Huh?”
“Strength training,” Fu Wenze said concisely. “Ten minutes.”
“You said you wanted to improve your physical condition, but just talking about it won’t help.”
The corner of Xie Xizhao’s mouth twitched.
This was payback, wasn’t it?
—
Regardless of whether Fu Wenze was seeking revenge or not, Xie Xizhao was serious about his fitness. He could see the results.
Before, after dancing for a long time, he would feel his heart racing, almost to the point of irregularity. After extended physical exertion, he would also struggle to catch his breath. Now that his physical condition had improved, those symptoms had lessened significantly.
He finally felt a bit more at ease. However, during his efforts, the atmosphere in the dorm had become increasingly gloomy.
—
One day, after having dinner with Ji Yan, when they returned to the dorm, Ji Yan suddenly said, “Hey, why hasn’t the ranking list been posted this week?”
He remembered that last week, when the rankings were posted, everyone came to see his big brother’s 15th place achievement.
At that time, only the first half of the season had been released, and even Xie Xizhao’s stage hadn’t aired yet.
Xie Xizhao replied, “The first elimination is the day after tomorrow.”
Ji Yan nodded in realization.
He scratched his head. “Time really flies.”
Xie Xizhao agreed. “Yeah.”
The elimination system of Super Rookie was brutal—100 down to 50, 50 down to 25, and only fifteen people would make it to the finals. As time passed, they had all forgotten that after the first elimination, half of the people in their dorm would be gone.
—
Another two regular days passed. Two days later, they received a notice from the program team, and everyone gathered in the large activity room.
It was the same place where they had recorded when they first started, but now, at this moment, it felt like everything had changed.
Unlike the previous stairs, this time the activity room had been arranged with chairs, making it feel much more formal. The mentors stood in front of them, lined up, and today, their makeup and attire were very simple.
“A feeling like we’re about to be sent off,” Ai Qingyuan muttered as he sat down.
Xie Xizhao twitched his mouth. Beside him, Guan Heng calmly tugged at Ai Qingyuan’s sleeve.
But it was too late.
Behind them, the Class F trainees, who were likely to be sent off according to their rankings, struggled to smile, but ultimately couldn’t manage it. Their gaze dropped to the floor, seemingly lost in thought.
Once everything was set up, the recording began.
The rankings started from 49th place and moved forward. Xie Xizhao lowered his eyes and listened.
After the first public performance, his impressions of some of the trainees had deepened a lot. He could now recognize most of the top fifty.
As it turned out, the stage had a significant impact on the contestants in the competition.
At least the few trainees Xie Xizhao had found impressive in the past, who were in the back rows, had all made great leaps in their rankings.
This was also why Xie Xizhao didn’t want to negotiate with the production team.
By now, the talent show had already become a very mature industry.
Even if the main show didn’t have any footage, there was still the stage, and even if the stage didn’t have footage, there was personal direct footage. Unless the production team was ruthless enough to pixelate his face, he didn’t think they could control his ranking.
And if it came to that, it would probably be because he had beaten up Ma Hongping in his sleep.
Of course, the talent show also had its cruelty.
For some contestants who weren’t bad but weren’t good enough, this system wasn’t as friendly.
—
When the rankings reached 25, there was finally some stir on the stage.
15-30, this was the hotspot for ranking changes.
Among the contestants in this section, aside from those like Xie Xizhao who were given special attention, they generally wouldn’t be on screen too much. But due to various reasons—such as stage errors, bad editing, or simply because someone else had moved up—many people’s rankings naturally dropped.
At the time of the 30th ranking, Ji Yan began murmuring, “I feel like it’s almost my turn.”
Ai Qingyuan sneered, “You have no confidence in yourself?”
Ji Yan’s ranking had dropped a bit again last week, around 17 or 18—an unremarkable number, neither up nor down.
But Ai Qingyuan had a fixed impression of him.
Or rather, he had a fixed impression of Xie Xizhao… and everyone else, except for Guan Heng, their rankings only mattered at the initial stage.
Ji Yan couldn’t be bothered to talk to him.
Xie Xizhao, who was standing nearby, didn’t speak either.
He had watched Ji Yan’s stage from the previous week.
…Honestly.
He did think Ji Yan’s face might be more suitable for appearing on screen.
He lowered his eyes, unconsciously rubbing the dice.
The small dice seemed to have developed a temper since their last time at the inn, as it hadn’t been glowing recently. Ai Qingyuan had once asked Xie Xizhao if it was rechargeable, and when he wasn’t paying attention, the dice rolled across the table on its own, landing with the 2 facing Ai Qingyuan.
It was quite fierce.
Xie Xizhao thought about this and the corner of his mouth curled slightly.
It seemed like the little thing under his hand had noticed that his mood wasn’t very good at the moment, and reluctantly lit up.
The warmth, not too hot to the touch, settled in his palm, like a gentle comfort.
In the end, Ji Yan’s ranking landed at 23.
The room fell silent, but Ji Yan let out a sigh of relief.
He said, “I thought I was going to drop to 25th.”
Looking up and seeing Xie Xizhao’s expression, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Hey, brother, don’t give me that look. I told you I don’t want to debut.”
Xie Xizhao adjusted his expression. “Mm.”
It was rare to see him like this, and Ji Yan couldn’t help but tease him.
He leaned over with a mischievous grin. “Tell me honestly, brother, aren’t you a little reluctant to let me go?”
Xie Xizhao: “…”
Ai Qingyuan, who was standing nearby, shuddered. “Oh my god, little lackey, can you speak normal words for once?”
The two exchanged a few playful words.
Xie Xizhao laughed, and his fingers finally loosened from the dice.
Xie Xizhao really didn’t like goodbyes.
How should he put it?
It was a strange feeling.
He was actually someone who liked being alone. The reason he got along with Ji Yan at first was because Ji Yan had been persistently reaching out to him.
But at the same time, he knew well that he was someone who had a lot of inertia.
He liked ordering takeout from the same store repeatedly, walking the same route to the practice room every day, and joking around and chatting with the same group of people each day.
Because of his inertia, he wasn’t used to farewells.
It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
NPCs didn’t need to connect with the world, nor did they need to connect with anyone in this world. Some NPCs, due to this trait, became incredibly free-spirited, living without rules or limits, but Xie Xizhao wasn’t like that.
When he was an NPC, he knew that things he was destined to lose weren’t worth holding onto. So he had always walked alone.
The closest companion seemed to be the little dice in his pocket.
He sighed inwardly.
It was indeed… a long-lost, slightly unfamiliar feeling.
The reluctance toward friends.
His hand subconsciously rested over his chest, feeling the lively and strong beat of his heart. After a while, he smiled and exhaled.
Ai Qingyuan and Ji Yan were still bickering.
The conversation had progressed to the point of “I’m actually Brother Zhao’s half-brother, what are you even to him?”
Xie Xizhao was silent for a moment. “Excuse me, do I know about this?”
Ji Yan, with a sense of righteousness, replied, “Now you know.”
Xie Xizhao: “…”
He said, “Then, as your half-brother, can I have some peace and quiet while I listen to the rankings?”
Ji Yan blinked, obediently closing his mouth.
It was Ai Qingyuan who hadn’t stopped talking. “What are you in a hurry for? You’re guaranteed to be in the top fifteen, so what’s your problem now?”
Xie Xizhao gave him a look.
Ai Qingyuan paused for two seconds, unwillingly closing his mouth as well.
Xie Xizhao lifted his head.
At that moment, the rankings had reached the twentieth.
