Chapter 14: Theme Song Practice (2)
Shen Xiu: Where did this conspicuous bag come from?!
Shen Xiu turned his head toward the sound without surprise, and saw that it was Xiang Yueting, standing in the most prominent position in the middle, enthusiastically inviting him with a megaphone in hand.
As far as Shen Xiu was concerned, the level of stimulation was no different from washing his hair while doing a handstand in public.
Xiang Yueting’s assassination count X2!
Shen Xiu’s mind had only one thought: As expected of Xiang Yueting, he would never disappoint him in another sense!
What was even more cringeworthy for Shen Xiu came next. Xiang Yueting’s earth-shattering voice caused all the trainees on the 8th floor to instinctively focus their attention on Shen Xiu, who was moving along the wall by the door.
First, the five trainees in front of Shen Xiu almost immediately turned their heads in unison, their five pairs of eyes locking with Shen Xiu’s.
The five trainees were stunned: “!”
When did Shen Xiu get behind them? They clearly remembered that he wasn’t there when they entered the elevator—was this what the teacher meant when he said that his dance skills were so good that he could walk without making a sound?!
Their eyes met, and Shen Xiu forced a smile, feeling awkward, and said, “Hey.”
The five trainees stiffened: “Hey.”
Shen Xiu didn’t move, and Jiang Yanxi egged him on: “Why aren’t you coming over?”
Song Chengwang: “Don’t want to sit with us?”
Shang Yu: “If you don’t come, Xiang Yueting will turn into an anxious king.”
Zhuang Yi: “Well… come over, this is your seat that you can’t miss?”
The other trainees joined in, laughing and egging him on: “Hahaha, Shen Xiu, hurry up! They’re so anxious!”
More eyes turned toward him, and almost everyone in the practice room was teasing him.
Shen Xiu: “…” He would be cringing about this in the middle of the night!
[The five trainees: Shocked. When did someone appear out of thin air behind them?! The truth is… V me 10000000, I’ll explain the details to you.]
[The upstairs ones understand clickbait titles and how to make money.]
[I heard that people with great dance skills can walk so silently that they don’t make a sound, and today I saw it for myself with Brother Xiu. It’s true.]
[Sisters, I’ve figured it out. Brother Xiu walks like this because he’s waiting to see when the five trainees in front will realize he’s there, right?! I didn’t expect Brother Xiu, who seems so aloof and cool, to have such a cute little thought!]
[Damn, sister, you figured it out! Another small detail—today’s Brother Xiu is so kawaii! It’s just that Xiang Yueting, this livewire, messed up Brother Xiu’s plan. Hahaha.]
“…Okay.”
Shen Xiu wasn’t sure if anyone could hear his low voice. He just felt that with everyone shouting like that, it would be awkward if he didn’t say a word and just walked over.
Under the scorching gazes of everyone, Shen Xiu’s heart almost leaped out of his chest as he tried to focus on his limbs.
If he made a mistake and ended up walking with the same leg and foot at the same time in front of so many people, he’d be laughed at for the rest of his life!
The distance was less than 100 meters, but Shen Xiu felt like it was an eternity, as if he was running a 3,000-meter race.
After the arduous walk, Shen Xiu finally reached his destination—the seat at the very center of the first row in the practice room.
In short—C-position.
Shen Xiu: …Who picked this seat?!
Xiang Yueting and Song Chengwang sat on either side of Shen Xiu. Xiang Yueting remembered that Shen Xiu didn’t like others touching him, so he held back the impulse to put his arm around Shen Xiu’s shoulders and excitedly claimed credit: “I picked the best spot for you guys! When we got here, I counted, and this is the most central spot!”
Shen Xiu tilted his head, his gaze falling deeply on Xiang Yueting: “It’s still you.”
Xiang Yueting: “!”
He must be praising me, right?
Xiang Yueting proudly raised his head: “Of course!”
Shang Yu asked Shen Xiu, “You woke up so early, leaving the dorm before 7:30. Where did you go after you left? Xiang Yueting and I arrived and didn’t see you.”
He and Xiang Yueting came to the 8th floor after finishing their makeup, hadn’t had breakfast, and hadn’t seen Shen Xiu.
Shen Xiu replied, “7th floor practice room.”
Song Chengwang heard this and immediately looked dejected: “Damn, I lost again!”
He swore that he would never sleep in again. Tomorrow, he would get up earlier than Shen Xiu and push himself hard. Since Shang Yu said Shen Xiu wakes up at 7, he’d wake up at 6.
Nearby trainees overheard Shen Xiu’s answer, and word quickly spread. They began whispering encouragement to each other.
“Did you hear that? Shen Xiu is so amazing—he wakes up at 7 and goes straight to the practice room to train. No wonder he’s so strong. We don’t have his foundation, so we can’t afford to be lazy anymore.”
“I got it, I’ll wake you up tomorrow, we’ll aim for 6.”
“I think… maybe 5?”
“Devil!”
—
As the trainees joked and chatted, it was exactly 9:00 AM.
At 9:01, the three teaching assistants entered the classroom.
The three assistants, who were part of the teaching team for “Youth Unstoppable”, had outstanding achievements in their respective fields, and most of the trainees from various companies or personal studios knew them.
As soon as the three assistants arrived, before they could even introduce themselves, the trainees spontaneously cheered and greeted them enthusiastically.
“Teacher An Lin, Teacher Xue, Teacher Ding, hello!”
“Ahh, I really saw them in person!”
“Teacher Xue, I love your Twisted so much!”
Shen Xiu: …It’s over. Everyone knows the teachers, but I don’t. Should I shout along with them? But what if I get unlucky and one of the teachers asks me what I like about their work? It would be even more awkward if I couldn’t answer.
What’s even worse is that I don’t even know the teachers’ full names.
Forget it.
Shen Xiu subconsciously breathed more quietly, trying his best to reduce his presence.
The trainees’ enthusiasm brought smiles to the three assistant teachers’ faces. The leader of the assistant teachers, Xue Yi, raised his hand: “Alright, alright, thank you all for your love. We’re really happy to see everyone so enthusiastic.”
After speaking, Xue Yi turned his gaze toward the trainee who had just mentioned liking his work, Zhou Tong: “You like my Twisted, right?”
The trainee, Zhou Tong, stood up, his cheeks flushed with excitement as he nodded vigorously: “Yes, Teacher Xue! Twisted is amazing!”
Xue Yi smiled and nodded: “Good. I hope you’ll continue to like my Twisted in the future.”
Xue Yi then looked at the remaining 99 trainees: “You all too.”
The trainees: “…” Why does it feel like there’s a chill running down my back?!
Shen Xiu’s only thought was: Good thing I didn’t shout along! See, someone really got picked.
Seeing the nervous expressions on everyone’s faces, Xue Yi laughed: “Hahaha, don’t be nervous. I was just joking with you all. Alright, no more nonsense. I’m Xue Yi, the leader of the assistant teachers, and I’ll be your dance instructor.”
The teacher in the middle, Zheng Anlin, continued: “Hello, trainees, I’m your vocal instructor, Zheng Anlin!”
The last assistant teacher, with a somewhat cold tone, said: “Hello, trainees, I’m your songwriting teacher, Ding Feichi. Also, I’m a rapper, so if you have any rap-related questions, feel free to ask me.”
Xue Yi stepped forward, his smile fading as his expression became serious. He spoke in a stern tone.
“Alright, from now on, let’s get down to business. The pretend-play mode of the initial evaluations is gone for good. The nine-member group that will ultimately emerge from Youth Unstoppable will not need anyone to cooperate with anyone else. The ones selected must be the nine most outstanding from the 100 trainees, all A’s!”
“So, the upcoming assessments will be extremely strict. Everyone must give their all, always ready to defeat anyone except themselves. Trainees, are you ready to face the challenge?”
Thinking of the purpose and dream behind this journey, the trainees were filled with passion, shouting loudly: “Ready!”
Xue Yi clapped: “Not bad, not bad. Now, let’s welcome the members of D-Col, who debuted after last season of Youth Unstoppable, to show us the first theme song!”
With Xue Yi’s words, he and the other two assistants stepped aside.
The nine members of D-Col entered, found their spots on the front stage, and as the music began, D-Col presented a visually and audibly stunning performance of Wind and Waves for the 100 trainees in the audience.
Though there were no dazzling lights, D-Col’s stage presence was still amazing. Shen Xiu was captivated by their performance and couldn’t take his eyes off them.
After the “Wind and Waves” performance, the nine members turned to the trainees and cheered in unison: “Junior trainees, do your best!”
As the D-Col members left, the three assistants—Zheng Anlin, Ding Feichi, and Xue Yi—sat at the side assistant seats, with Xue Yi in the first position. He picked up the microphone and asked the trainees below.
“Was that amazing?”
The trainees below responded with enthusiastic applause: “Super amazing! A stage like that is something we can’t even dream of right now.”
“So, who’s ready to try it out right here?”
Going up to try meant standing out from the live broadcast cameras, giving them a better chance to be included in the edited recording version. The trainees were ecstatic, raising their hands like crazy.
“Teacher Xue, me!”
“Me! Me! Me!”
Xue Yi smiled slightly: “Don’t rush, one at a time, everyone will get a chance. Now, let’s start with the person who raised their hand last in the back row.”
The trainees quickly learned the various versions of Xue Yi’s sharp-tongued comments.
“Wow, you’ve all learned how to weld your legs to the ground, it’s a miracle in the dance world. Teach me how to do it.”
“Not bad, your limbs have their own awareness, each one dancing their own dance.”
“The moves are on point, but what’s with your gaze? Are you trying to kill me with that look?”
“Hey boy, open up your movements a bit more, be confident, wild, passionate—got it?”
“Tsk, too much force. I know I’m annoying, but you don’t need to punch me to death, do you?”
“Slow down, slow down. Are you trying to make the music nervous? What’s with the frantic movements?”
Every trainee who went up left the stage questioning their life choices.
Twenty minutes later, the trainees, who had been eager at first, were now looking at each other, none of them daring to go up.
Xue Yi scanned the entire room: “Anyone else?”
Silence.
Xue Yi’s teaching materials weren’t enough yet, and his gaze landed on Zhou Tong: “Zhou Tong, come up.”
Zhou Tong walked to the front stage with a look of resignation on his face.
20 seconds later…
Xue Yi: “Zhou Tong, are you performing Plants vs. Zombies?”
Zhou Tong, who had been called up to perform, came down with his eyes red.
When Shen Xiu saw Zhou Tong’s red eyes, he thought back to the conversation between Zhou Tong and Teacher Xue earlier. He finally understood what Teacher Xue meant by “I hope you all will continue to like Twisted.”
Xue Yi asked, “Anyone else?”
After more than twenty minutes of sharp-tongued critiques from Xue Yi, the trainees below didn’t dare to speak up.
Xue Yi sighed: “Since no one’s volunteering, I’ll start calling names again.”
The words “calling names” caused the trainees to feel an instant flashback to being at the mercy of their teachers in class. They either lowered their heads or looked around, but none dared to make eye contact with the teacher.
They were afraid that if their eyes met, they’d be the next one called up.
To that, Shen Xiu, who had been through many such situations, summarized his experience.
Looking around? No, it would catch the teacher’s attention.
Lowering your head? Even worse, the teacher would think you’re avoiding eye contact, and you’d still get called.
The most reliable method was—stay calm. As long as you look normal, with no change in your expression or heart rate, no extra movements, and appear utterly unremarkable, the teacher would instinctively ignore you.
The next second, Xue Yi’s voice rang out: “You, yes, you—the cool guy in the middle of the first row, number 66, Shen Xiu. You must be very confident since you chose the central C position. Come up.”
