Chapter 9: Dorm Room (1)
“Teacher Xu? Who’s that?”
Before Shen Xiu could even figure it out, Xiang Yueting gave him a shove and pushed him right in front of this so-called “Teacher Xu.”
Caught off guard and suddenly face-to-face with a total stranger, Shen Xiu said: “…”
‘Thanks a lot, Xiang Yueting. Seriously, you win. I’m speechless.’
Xu Shaoming was actually waiting for Shen Xiu at the corner near the stage exit. Shen Xiu hadn’t come out yet, and while waiting, Xu Shaoming saw someone he knew. He gave a polite nod and smile across the crowd as a greeting.
Right after that, bam—someone was shoved right into him.
Xu Shaoming took a closer look. Oh! It was the little fan he was waiting for—Shen Xiu.
Shen Xiu didn’t have time to react or back off, so he ended up awkwardly locking eyes with Xu Shaoming. Feeling super awkward, he forced himself to speak: “H-Hi, Teacher Xu…”
So embarrassing… he stuttered.
Should he just go find a brick and end it all now?
Shen Xiu stood there like he’d lost the will to live.
Meanwhile, Xiang Yueting decided to give them some space. As he passed Shen Xiu, he called out “Teacher Xu!” and then gave Shen Xiu a fist-bump gesture: “Come on, man, we’re brothers. No need to be shy with me, it’s my duty. You got this!”
Shen Xiu: …What kind of nonsense was that?
Xu Shaoming looked up at the tall, cool-looking guy in front of him and felt kinda touched. He never imagined Shen Xiu would be so nervous meeting him that he’d start stuttering.
This kid must really be a fan.
“Hahaha…” The more Xu Shaoming thought about it, the happier he got. He burst out laughing and gave Shen Xiu a hearty slap on the shoulder: “Not bad…”
He was originally going to say Shen Xiu’s singing was pretty good, but after his hand hit Shen Xiu’s shoulder, he couldn’t help but give it a squeeze and comment, “You’ve got a solid build, kid.”
Actually… slapping him kinda hurt his hand.
The moment Shen Xiu heard Xu Shaoming’s voice, he completely froze.
Wait a sec—wasn’t this the same big shot with the weird habit of singing in the bathroom? The one who helped him learn one and a half song? He wasn’t wearing any staff badge, but the tag hanging from his neck clearly said “Special Guest.”
Shen Xiu bowed deeply to Xu Shaoming, full of gratitude. “Thank you, Teacher Xu! And thank you for your song!”
If this big shot didn’t have that strange bathroom-singing habit, Shen Xiu would’ve absolutely died of embarrassment on stage.
Who doesn’t love a polite and enthusiastic fan? Xu Shaoming grinned from ear to ear.
“What are you thanking me for? You did all the singing.”
Shen Xiu shook his head. “No, it’s because you sang it well that I could learn it well.”
The whole building had cameras everywhere, with the show being livestreamed 24/7. Naturally, this moment was caught by the hallway cam, and the viewers in the livestream were watching it unfold in real time.
No one in the chat was surprised.
[I knew it. Shen Xiu’s singing style is totally influenced by Xu Shaoming. They must’ve known each other already. He keeps calling him ‘Teacher Xu’—and not just out of politeness either. That’s a real teacher-student ‘Teacher Xu.’]
[LOL did y’all see Shen Xiu stutter just now? The contrast is too cute. No matter how cool and confident someone is out there, they still get nervous in front of their teacher.]
[Shen Xiu: I was a confident, mysterious cool guy… until my teacher showed up.]
[Image file: “Shen Xiu – Awkward but Adorable Big Shot.jpg” The GIF version is ready. Feel free to use it, folks.]
Meanwhile, over by the hallway…
The passing trainees and staff were just as stunned as the viewers.
“Holy crap, I knew Shen Xiu wasn’t just some random guy. Even the king of singing, Xu Shaoming, came to see him in person?! His connections are insane!”
“You think Shen Xiu might be from some super rich family? Or… maybe the kid of some big-shot entertainment company boss? I just can’t figure out how he has these kinds of connections otherwise.”
“This show is way too strict. We’re not even allowed to reveal what company we’re signed with. If we could, maybe we could dig up Shen Xiu’s background through his agency.”
Right in the eye of this “storm,” Shen Xiu found that ever since he ended up standing in front of Teacher Xu, literally everyone passing by was looking at him. That made him even more self-conscious.
He wasn’t great at small talk to begin with. After thanking Teacher Xu, he had no clue what to say next.
Inside, he was just hoping Teacher Xu wouldn’t scold him for butchering his song and making the audience go awkwardly silent.
Xu Shaoming was a busy guy—he had only come over because Shen Xiu sang so well, and he wanted to meet him in person. He had a good impression of Shen Xiu, but once they met, he was ready to head out.
Since Shen Xiu didn’t show much expression, Xu Shaoming didn’t notice how awkward he felt. He just gave Shen Xiu a friendly pat on the shoulder and said, “I’ve got something to take care of, so I’ll head out now—hope you don’t mind. But hey, if I get the chance, I’ll come by again. Keep working hard, okay? Don’t waste your talent.”
Shen Xiu: “!”Is there such a good thing?
“Not at all! Thank you, Teacher Xu. Take care!”
To be honest, they weren’t close at all. Shen Xiu even felt awkward around his own roommates—let alone someone he’d only technically met twice. The first time was in the bathroom, and even then, it was just a voice from a stall. But he still counted it.
After seeing Xu Shaoming off, Shen Xiu let out a long, deep breath.
Yep—forced socializing was really too much for this fat tiger to handle.
Also… Teacher Xu didn’t scold him!
What a good person.
Remembering that he needed to switch dorms, Shen Xiu headed back toward his old room. It was now occupied by Class B, and he needed to move his stuff over to the Class A dorm.
The dorm room door was wide open. As Shen Xiu stepped inside, he locked eyes with Qin Hua, who had just come out of the bathroom.
After that initial evaluation round, Shen Xiu had left a serious impression—not just on the audience, but on the other trainees too. Well, he basically challenged everyone else single-handedly. Not exactly someone you forget.
Qin Hua instinctively tensed up, his throat dry as he awkwardly greeted, “Hey… Shen Xiu.”
He knew Shen Xiu had that cold, aloof vibe, but meeting him face to face like this—with that icy expression—was honestly kind of intimidating.
Shen Xiu quickly matched the face in front of him with a name in his head.
“Hey, Qin Hua.”
Qin Hua’s eyes lit up in surprise.
“You remember my name?!”
He always thought of himself as average—nothing special, neither terrible nor great. The fact that Shen Xiu, of all people, remembered him… did that mean maybe he wasn’t as invisible as he thought?
Shen Xiu was confused. What’s so strange about remembering names?
“Of course I remember.”
He actually remembered the name of every single trainee.
Qin Hua relaxed a little, now excited and energized. “Thanks!”
Shen Xiu: ???
He really couldn’t understand how these people’s brains worked.
Forcing the conversation along, Shen Xiu stiffly said, “…I’m just here to pack my stuff.”
With that, he walked straight over to his old bed and locker, pulled his suitcase out from under the bed, and focused on packing. He tried his best not to look back or accidentally make eye contact with Qin Hua again.
He honestly had no clue why Qin Hua kept staring at him like that.
Qin Hua, almost without thinking, drifted closer and stood beside him, watching as Shen Xiu expressionlessly and efficiently folded clothes into his suitcase.
Inside, Qin Hua was psyching himself up like mad: ‘Let’s go, Qin Hua! Come on! Shen Xiu is right in front of you—how could you just let this chance slip by?!’
Getting private dance lessons from Shen Xiu before the theme song training even officially starts? That would make every other trainee green with envy. It’d be the perfect head start for the evaluation. Who knows—maybe even enough to leap straight from Class B to Class A!
Xiang Yueting had just come back to pack and quietly told him: ‘if it weren’t for Shen Xiu’s guidance, there’s no way I would’ve made it into Class A.’
Clearly, Shen Xiu wasn’t just good on his own—he was great at teaching others too.
And yet… when Qin Hua finally opened his mouth, what came out was: “Lu Qian and Luo Yuan already packed up and left.”
Inside, Qin Hua mentally slapped himself: ‘Ugh, just end me already. What a waste of oxygen!’
Shen Xiu: …Yeah, he had already noticed that when he walked in and saw the empty beds.
“…Mm.”
He couldn’t think of anything else to say, so he just gave a stiff little grunt.
Qin Hua: ‘Shen Xiu even responds to this kind of awkward small talk?! Xiang Yueting was right—he’s totally one of those cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside types. If I don’t go for it now, when will I?!’
Meanwhile, Shen Xiu had no idea that Xiang Yueting was once again digging him a metaphorical pit behind his back.
“Um…” Qin Hua hesitated a few more seconds behind him, then finally blurted it out: “Shen Xiu, you must be really good at dancing too, right? Once you’re done packing… do you think you could maybe… teach me a bit?”
