Chapter 13: Theme Song Practice (1)
Then, he had absolutely no brain capacity left. Whoever said it wasn’t enough, he’d show them by dying right there on the spot!
Hearing Shen Xiu’s indifferent voice saying those light, casual words, the other four people, except for Xiang Yueting, looked as pale as vegetables.
Shen Xiu had just danced four routines in a row without breaking a sweat, not even showing a hint of exhaustion. Now he was asking if that was enough?
Oh no, was Shen Xiu the type to get addicted to dancing and feel like it wasn’t enough?
No, no, no! They were done!
One blow was enough; they didn’t want to be struck again. If they performed poorly in tomorrow’s theme song practice, they’d get scolded by the instructor!
The four of them moved in perfect unison, shaking their heads, and spoke in unison, “Enough, enough!”
It was rumored that A-Class trainees were having a battle in the practice room livestream, and countless viewers flooded into the livestream to watch the entire battle. After watching, everyone commented:
[Hahaha, the image of the five of them collectively shaking their heads is so funny. I’m going to screenshot it and make it into a GIF! ]
[Is this what Boss Xiu meant when he said, ‘No, I’m not strong, really, trust me’? Looks like Boss Xiu is not just a ‘Shura Field’ but also a real devil! Haha.]
[Song Chengwang, Shang Yu, Jiang Yanxi, and Zhuang Yi: Thanks for the invite, we’ll never dare again!]
[Ahh, I really have good taste! From the start, I thought Boss Xiu was an all-rounder ACE, and it turns out I was right!]
In the practice room, Shen Xiu saw the four of them shaking their heads, and his heart, which had been hanging, finally relaxed. He immediately said, “Then, goodbye.”
Without hesitation, Shen Xiu turned around and swiftly left the practice room with a tired gait, not daring to stay even one second longer.
As for the result of the battle, Shen Xiu didn’t dare ask the five people inside the room.
He was afraid that if he asked, and the five started arguing, the one who would be unlucky would be him.
—
With a click, the door closed.
After Shen Xiu left, the previously silent room suddenly exploded with noise, as if someone had just turned the volume back on.
Thinking about what Shen Xiu had said before the battle started, Zhuang Yi let out a sigh. “Shen Xiu said he really wasn’t that strong and asked us to believe him. Then he went and beat the four of us at the one thing we took the most pride in—dancing—all in one go. And that’s what he calls ‘not strong’?”
Shang Yu gave a tired laugh. “Now that we’ve experienced it ourselves, we’ve been humbled. Truly, the words of the strong are always lies.”
Song Chengwang, who was the first one to get completely wrecked, added, “Dignity? What’s dignity? Can you eat it?”
“Heh.” Jiang Yanxi’s mouth twitched as he forced a numb smile. “Is it possible that, in Shen Xiu’s own eyes, he genuinely thinks he’s not strong? Like, his definition of ‘not strong’ is actually our definition of ‘strong.’ We’re just not even on the same level.”
Xiang Yueting clapped his hands. “Brother Jiang, I think you’ve found the truth!”
Song Chengwang looked even more devastated, utterly defeated. “This is all my own doing. I regret it—deeply regret it. Why did I ever provoke Shen Xiu? I totally deserve this.”
Shang Yu sighed. “If we go by what Yanxi said, then when Shen Xiu said he couldn’t dance and asked us to compare vocals instead, he was actually giving us a way out. But in the end, we were the ones who didn’t take the hint.”
The four of them turned and gave Jiang Yanxi a thumbs-up. “You’re the best—you totally cleared our confusion.”
Jiang Yanxi tilted his chin proudly. “Obviously. From now on, no one understands Shen-language better than me. Please respectfully refer to me as the ‘Level 10 Certified Shen- language Translator.’ Thank you!”
After hearing the other four’s recounting, Xiang Yueting felt even more grateful and sighed, “You guys had it rough. I’m so glad I was smart enough not to go up against him.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he was met with four gloomy stares.
Meanwhile, the livestream audience wholeheartedly agreed with Jiang Yanxi’s analysis.
[Exactly! In the mind of a true powerhouse, they never stop at where they are. How could they ever think they’re already strong enough? So really, what Boss Xiu said at the start wasn’t wrong at all.]
[He defeated four A-Class trainees in a row and still walked off so calmly, not even a trace of joy on his face. That just proves we were right all along, folks!]
[Yes, absolutely—no one understands Boss Xiu better than we do!]
——
In the Class A dorm, Shen Xiu returned after dinner, finished washing up, and packed his things. At last, he couldn’t hold out any longer—he placed his hands over his stomach and collapsed flat on the bed.
In an era ruled by night owls, Shen Xiu was already under the covers and fast asleep by 8 PM.
His brain had been overworked, leaving him physically and mentally drained. At this point, even if someone beat drums right next to his ear, he wouldn’t wake up.
What Shen Xiu didn’t know was that the livestream wouldn’t shut off until 9 PM, and countless viewers…
…had poured into the Class A dorm stream.
[Is this… a sleep stream?]
[So this is the sleep schedule of a big shot? He goes to bed this early?]
[Looking at the two dark circles under my eyes, and thinking about how I absolutely refuse to sleep before 2 AM every night… I’m starting to realize—this is the difference between me and a big shot. It’s all because I sleep too late.]
[Enlightened. I’ll go to bed early and wake up early too—maybe tomorrow I’ll be as amazing as Boss Xiu!]
[Step aside, I’ve brought a whole swimming pool’s worth of water. Let me splash it on all our dear friends and wake them up.]
[Wait, are we not going to talk about Boss Xiu’s sleeping posture? There’s something about it—it’s like ‘the boss, hands folded over his stomach, eyes peacefully shut, lying in a coffin in temporary rest, waiting only for the first ray of sunlight to hit him before he opens his eyes and starts the carnage.’ Who gets it?]
[Holy crap, now that you put it that way, the vibe is spot on! But I think we need to change how we wake up the boss. How about we go with: “Rise, my edgy king”? 👀🐶🐶]
——
The next morning.
At 7 AM sharp, as the livestream resumed right on schedule, Shen Xiu’s internal clock also prompted him to open his eyes at exactly the same moment.
[Let’s see who woke up earlier than me to—wait what the—Boss Xiu, you’re awake too?!]
[Relax, what did you expect? Discipline is a standard feature for big shots. I even set my alarm for 6:58 just to witness this moment. And boom—7:00 on the dot, not a second early or late—Boss Xiu opens his eyes like clockwork. This self-control is exactly why I want to pick him!]
Shen Xiu’s body moved on instinct. Eyes open, blanket lifted, sitting up—every motion seamless, fluid, natural.
And then—
His pupils practically shook.
He glanced around and saw that besides the two walls beside his bed, the floor space to the left and diagonally opposite was now covered with futons. Shen Xiu was so stunned he almost rolled off the bed.
What was happening?
He clearly remembered that when he went to bed last night, his was the only bed in this area!
Shang Yu, also an early riser, sat up across from him and saw Shen Xiu already awake. He greeted him casually, as if this was perfectly normal. “Morning.”
Still mentally foggy and unsettled by the realization that he would now be surrounded by people while sleeping, Shen Xiu numbly responded, “…Morning.”
Back in the Class B dorm, people didn’t really like to cluster together. The room was large with twenty beds, and everyone naturally spaced themselves far apart.
And as for the corners—dark, quiet, and empty—no one wanted to sleep there.
Shen Xiu had happily lived in such a dark corner all by himself.
But now—
Looking at the beds now lining both beside and across from him, Shen Xiu deeply regretted not being more thorough when he came to the show just to “freeload some resources.” If only he’d thought to take the blackout curtains from his old dorm with him.
Not yet recovered from the shock of suddenly being surrounded by unfamiliar, serious, and frankly intimidating roommates, Shen Xiu forced himself to get it together. To avoid the awkwardness of brushing his teeth and washing his face side by side with people he didn’t know well, especially while staring at each other through the mirror, he steeled himself.
He moved quietly but swiftly to the washbasin.
There was a door between the dorm and the washroom, and the soundproofing was excellent—once it was closed, you could barely hear anything from the other side.
Less than ten minutes had passed since wake-up. While Shang Yu was still rummaging through his closet for clothes, he glanced up and saw Shen Xiu already washed and reaching into his wardrobe to grab two outfits before heading into the bathroom.
As he heard the bathroom door shut, Shang Yu muttered, “…So fast… Already that good, and still this hardworking.”
Yeah, he was definitely being way too slow—wasting time he didn’t need to.
In order to avoid wasting time, Shang Yu shut his eyes, grabbed two random pieces of clothing, and headed into the bathroom to change too.
Inside, Shen Xiu couldn’t help recalling his first year in college—those early awkward days of dorm life. Back then, no one really knew each other. Mornings started with stilted small talk, followed by group trips to the cafeteria, walking together to class.
Everyone always seemed to glance at him when they spoke. He wasn’t good at talking, so he’d just pretend not to notice.
Eventually, he realized that when he was around, people talked less.
With that memory surfacing, Shen Xiu started changing even faster.
To avoid putting everyone—including himself—through that kind of awkwardness again, his strategy was simple: leave first, avoid the scene entirely.
Shen Xiu stepped out of the bathroom on silent feet, gently opened the door, slipped out, and quietly shut it behind him—all within thirty seconds and without making a sound.
Each dorm had five private shower stalls with doors. So by the time Shang Yu finished changing and came out of the bathroom, Shen Xiu had already vanished.
“Where’d he go?”
[While you were changing in the bathroom, Boss Xiu already dipped.]
[Wait, no one’s doing hair and makeup? I specifically woke up early just to watch the trainees get ready for their evaluations on the dorm livestream. And Boss Xiu? He just washed his face and slapped on some program-sponsored moisturizer?]
[Ahem adjusts tie clears throat grabs mic, Now, let me explain: that’s exactly who Boss Xiu is. Not interested in wasting a single second—he just wants to grind his way to the top and become the strongest!]
Since Shang Yu couldn’t see the flood of comments in the livestream chat, he thought Shen Xiu was still in the bathroom. He walked over to knock on the door. “Shen Xiu?”
Just as he finished speaking, the door to the stall Shen Xiu had used earlier creaked open—completely empty.
Realizing a moment too late that Shen Xiu had already left the dorm, Shang Yu stood there in stunned silence.
“…You know what? Maybe getting out-grinded by him is what I deserve.”
According to the show’s schedule, at 9 AM, the content and rules for the first theme song evaluation would be announced in the large multipurpose training room on the 8th floor.
But now, it was only 7:20 AM. Most trainees hadn’t even gotten up yet, and with hair and makeup still ahead of them, the place was quiet.
So when Shen Xiu arrived at the cafeteria, there wasn’t a single trainee inside—just the kitchen staff going about their prep.
To ensure the trainees stayed in peak condition, the production team provided three meals a day that were not only nutritionally balanced but also incredibly delicious.
Eighty percent of the dishes laid out were ones Shen Xiu had never tasted before—mouthwatering, novel, and delightful.
As Shen Xiu munched on his delicious breakfast, he was suddenly hit with a wave of motivation: ‘This breakfast is so good, I gotta work hard just to keep earning meals like this.’
After finishing up, he took the elevator upstairs.
He imagined what it would look like walking into the 8th-floor training room—where the theme song would be announced—being the first one there, sitting alone under the spotlight while the rest of the trainees filed in. In the early half when the room was still sparsely populated, all the latecomers would naturally notice those who arrived early. That kind of attention? Not his thing.
In the elevator, after weighing the pros and cons, Shen Xiu calmly pressed the button for the 7th floor.
He figured it’d be better to wait until more people started heading up to the 8th floor. Once there was a crowd, he could slip in unnoticed, just another face in the sea.
——
Inside the 7th-floor practice room.
Staring at the multimedia setup in front of him, Shen Xiu thought back to the four new dances he’d just learned yesterday. Since he had some time to kill, he figured—might as well review.
He already had the moves down. Now it was just muscle memory maintenance. No need for intense focus or deep thought. His body flowed through the choreography with ease.
Meanwhile, viewers who happened to stumble into the 7th-floor livestream were shook by how diligent he was.
[Rubbing my eyes… am I seeing this right? It’s only 7:40, not 8:30?!]
[So THIS is where Boss Xiu went—I was searching all over for him!]
[They haven’t even announced the theme song yet and he’s already practicing?? This is why he’s a big shot, y’all.]
[Stay calm, people. Ever since he woke up at 7 sharp, I knew this was coming. True kings grind harder than anyone.]
In the practice room, Shen Xiu ran through the four new dances from yesterday, all the moves he remembered from the initial evaluations, plus the songs he could sing and the lyrics he’d memorized. He cycled through everything several times.
Eventually, when he glanced at the wall clock and saw it was already 8:40, he knew—only twenty minutes left until the 9 AM announcement.
Shen Xiu thought to himself, ‘There must be a lot of people entering the practice room on the 8th floor by now—it’s the perfect time to blend in unnoticed.’
He left the practice room on the 7th floor. To avoid a repeat of the awkward suffocating elevator experience from before, Shen Xiu decisively chose to take the stairs.
[What kind of move is this?]
[Tsk, clearly you guys haven’t maxed out your “Shen Studies” skill yet. Let this graduate student in Shen Studies explain—our Boss Shen has a strong sense of territory. He probably doesn’t like being crammed in with others. After all, the strong are always solitary. That’s why he took the stairs.]
[100 points for interpretation!]
There were no live cameras installed in the stairwell, and Shen Xiu disappeared from the viewers’ sight.
At the corner of the 8th floor stairwell, Shen Xiu pressed his ear against the door, listening for movement in the hallway outside.
Just as he’d guessed, the 8th floor was bustling. Footsteps and conversation echoed without pause.
Now’s the time!
Shen Xiu took a deep breath. After hearing a group of footsteps pass by the stairwell door, he waited a few seconds, then gently pushed it open and quickly, nimbly slipped in behind five trainees ahead of him.
His footsteps were light, and the door didn’t make a sound. The trainees were deep in conversation, laughing and chatting without realizing that Shen Xiu had joined their group somewhere along the way.
Shen Xiu followed them at a not-too-close, not-too-far distance.
Nice—step one, success!
Next, all he had to do was continue following them into the 8th floor practice room, find a spot in the corner to sit down, and the whole plan would be perfectly executed.
At the entrance to the 8th floor practice room.
Shen Xiu followed behind the five trainees, his eyes decisively locking onto an empty seat in the far back corner that no one had claimed yet.
Closer… getting closer… the light of victory is right in front of me!
Just as he was about to discreetly slip into his ideal, perfectly hidden seat, a familiar voice rang out from the center of the room through the microphone—echoing loudly across the entire hall:
“Shen Xiu! Shen Xiu, look over here! We’re over here!”
