Chapter 15: Theme Song Practice (3)
Shen Xiu’s brain crashed. The conspicuous package was actually his own!
Shen Xiu thought of everything, except for the ‘C position’ time bomb! He analyzed it fiercely, only to turn around and realize he looked like a fool.
It’s like sitting in the front row during class—no matter how hard you try to hide, it’s useless, absolutely useless. The teacher just has to look down at the podium to see everything.
Xue Yi’s assassination attempts X3!
As for Xue Yi’s words, the other trainees present nodded: that’s right, Shen Xiu is just very confident!
Shen Xiu tried to struggle: “I…”
Xue Yi: “An explanation is just a cover-up. Skip to the story-telling part. Confident geniuses are always like you. I get it, no need for the modesty routine, just get up here.”
Shen Xiu: “…”
Only in a world where Shen Xiu is the only one hurt did this silently come to pass.
Shen Xiu has a habit: no matter the situation, he never compares himself to others, only to himself.
Forced onto the stage, Shen Xiu could only find comfort in humor: It’s okay, you’re already lucky. At least you can almost remember all the dance moves, much better than yesterday when you had to learn four dances at once. Even luckier, the teacher only asked for dancing, not singing, right?
Thinking this way, Shen Xiu’s steps onto the stage became lighter.
Sure enough, every time he felt panicked, as long as he found a worse situation to compare to, everything would be solved.
Meanwhile, the other trainees below:
“Shen Xiu’s mindset is really steady. So many people in front of him were so crushed they were almost ready to quit right there, but Shen Xiu still maintained his composure, his steps carrying an air of indifference and arrogance that said ‘who else but me’.”
“Who made him so strong? If I had Shen Xiu’s abilities, I’d be just as fearless if I were picked. You see, back in school, when a top student was called on to answer a question, they were always confident.”
To this, the live-stream audience responded:
[Boss Xiu: Everyone, step aside, I’m about to show off!]
[Teacher Xue, we are so glad you have the same sharp eye as us! That’s right, I admit it, Boss Xiu is just that confident!]
Having adjusted his mindset, Shen Xiu stood at the center of the stage. To avoid making eye contact with any of the trainees below, he fixed his gaze on the center of the last row’s framed picture on the wall, staring into the eyes of the bird in the painting.
As the music started, Shen Xiu began to replicate D-col’s dance moves from just moments ago, step by step…
This time, Xue Yi didn’t shout “stop” like before. He remained silent, his eyes fixed on Shen Xiu, who seemed to glow under the spotlight, until Shen Xiu stopped on his own.
Song Chengwang hummed lightly: “The moment Shen Xiu stepped on stage with his chin slightly raised, looking down at everyone, I knew he would handle this perfectly.”
Zhuang Yi said, “Exactly, he must have practiced ‘Wind and Waves’ before, there’s no way he could dance so flawlessly without prior preparation.”
Shang Yu: “I’m really curious now, which company is Shen Xiu training with?”
Song Chengwang raised an eyebrow and looked at Shang Yu: “Don’t talk about Shen Xiu, which entertainment company are you with?”
Shang Yu smiled faintly: “According to the rules of the show, that’s a secret.”
“Tch.”
Song Chengwang snorted lightly. It’s just a public secret. All the trainees live in the same dormitory. You can tell which ones get along well—they’re from the same company, or they’ve been secretly chatting behind the live-stream camera.
Although the show is live 24 hours a day, there are no cameras in places like the dormitory bathroom and the emergency exits, which are considered blind spots. From 10 PM to 7 AM, the cameras inside the dormitory are turned off. If the trainees want to talk or do something, it’s easy to do so.
Their Class A dorm is full of tight-lipped people, and not a single big mouth has spilled any secrets yet.
He’s not too curious about others, but he’s really curious about Shen Xiu. He wants to pull Shen Xiu over to his side.
On stage.
After finishing the dance, Shen Xiu waited a few seconds but didn’t hear Xue Yi’s critique. He forced himself to pull his gaze away from the floral bird painting on the back wall of the practice room and slightly tilted his head to look at Xue Yi, repeating the words he had told himself in his mind: “Teacher Xue, is it okay?”
In Xue Yi’s eyes, the young man who had just danced so intensely was still calm, with no flushed cheeks or heavy breathing. What was more, he nonchalantly looked at him with a distant gaze and asked, “Is it okay?”
Xue Yi: … Damn, after confirming with just a glance, this kid really is a ‘tough nut.’ He’s definitely trying to prove to me that he deserves that C position!
But honestly, this kid really can do it!
Xue Yi picked up the microphone with a smile and said the first non-sarcastic thing he had said all day: “Not bad. You can go down now.”
Shen Xiu sighed in relief. As expected, his high school teacher was right—when in doubt, perfectly replicating the moves was the best solution.
As the first trainee not to be roasted by Xue Yi, more eyes turned to Shen Xiu.
Some were curious and probing, some were admiring and worshipping, while others carried hostility.
Where there is respect for Shen Xiu, there is naturally disdain as well.
As Shen Xiu passed the front row on his way back to his spot, he heard a voice sneer, “Tch, conspicuous bag.”
Hearing the voice, Shen Xiu didn’t falter, and continued walking toward his spot without a pause.
Shen Xiu couldn’t help but agree wholeheartedly with the words of trainee No. 29, Xia Wenhao: ‘Exactly, it’s such a conspicuous bag. How embarrassing, I need to walk faster and escape the scene!’
The comment “conspicuous bag” wasn’t too quiet. The people in the back rows couldn’t hear it, but those in the front few rows could hear it clearly.
After Shen Xiu had moved further away, Zhou Tong whispered to his partner next to him, “If someone said that about me, I’d feel terrible.”
Lu Qian, who was behind Zhou Tong, leaned in to join the discussion: “Not just terrible—you’d probably cry. But look at Shen Xiu, he’s different from us. You saw how he didn’t even pause his steps when he heard it.”
Zhou Tong’s face turned bright red: “…” Could we not talk about him crying? How embarrassing!
Jiang Yang: “So, does this mean Shen Xiu didn’t care about what Xia Wenhao said?”
Lu Qian shook his head: “No, no, no. Shen Xiu’s just too strong. He’s strong enough to ignore bad remarks because he knows they can’t hurt him in the slightest. This is the confidence of someone truly powerful!”
The live-stream audience reacted:
[Very well, I hereby announce that Lu Qian’s little puppy ‘Xiu Studies’ is getting full marks!]
Although their voices were quiet, Xia Wenhao was sitting right next to them, so it was impossible for him not to hear.
Xia Wenhao suspected they were deliberately speaking loud enough for him to hear, so he stood up abruptly from his chair: “Are you guys done?”
Xia Wenhao looked at Shen Xiu: “Shen Xiu, let’s have a competition!”
What’s so special about being in Class A? What’s so great about the theme song being a dance Shen Xiu had practiced? It was all just luck. If he had drawn the dance he wasn’t good at, he would still be in Class A.
Song Chengwang snorted: “He’s just asking for trouble. Don’t cry later when you lose.”
Zhuang Yi agreed deeply: “Exactly. Shen Xiu only needs to lift a finger to easily crush everyone here.”
Xiang Yueting: “Shen Xiu is the strongest!”
Shang Yu gave a slight smile and nodded in agreement: “Mhm.”
Jiang Yanxi tried to calm everyone down: “Take it easy, don’t compete right now, it’ll mess with your mindset for the theme song evaluation. Seriously, we’re only looking out for you.”
Everyone in their dorm, except for Xiang Yueting, had experienced Shen Xiu’s skill firsthand. Being crushed really could affect one’s mentality.
It was just like how, even though he had already learned “Wind and Waves,” his nerves got the better of him during the evaluation, and he messed up the moves, only for Xue Yi to call him out on it.
The other trainees were left confused: “???”
What’s going on? Why is it that the five members of Class A are all speaking up for Shen Xiu?
When Shen Xiu heard the news after sitting back down, he nearly fell off his chair in surprise: “?”
Seriously, can you not drag me into your bragging?
Song Chengwang told Shen Xiu with facts: No.
Song Chengwang: “Yanxi’s kind enough to try and advise you, unlike me, who would just tell you to stop making a fool of yourself.”
His words turned the atmosphere in the practice room up another notch.
Xia Wenhao was even more frustrated: “Song Chengwang, you back off and stop making excuses…”
Xue Yi cut in just in time: “What’s all this arguing about? You’re male group audition trainees. If you want to compete, do it through your dancing and singing. What’s the use of fighting with words?”
[Hahaha, truly living up to ‘stop fighting, go to the practice room to fight,’ this is so funny it’s giving me a stomach ache.]
[The trainees who missed out on the Class A battle are like ‘Who am I? Where am I? What are they even talking about?’]
Xue Yi looked at Xia Wenhao: “Xia Wenhao, I really appreciate your competitive spirit. Well then, the theme song evaluation will be in a duo format. You and Shen Xiu will team up and take the evaluation together. Who performs better will be revealed then. Now, everyone listen to your teacher, got it? Any problems?”
Xia Wenhao shook his head: “No.”
Xue Yi looked at Shen Xiu: “What about you, Shen Xiu?”
Shen Xiu looked at Xue Yi with a gaze full of gratitude: “No problems.”
There really are still more good people in the world. Shen Xiu hadn’t expected that Teacher Xue, who looked so fierce, would actually be so kind.
Xue Yi was satisfied. He put on his earpiece and walked to the center of the stage: “Alright, everyone, get off your spots and find a place to stand. Based on the issues I noticed from your performances earlier, I’m going to personally break down each move for you one by one.”
In the positioning area, Ke Zian looked at his good friend who he had known here with confusion: “Jiashi, Jiashi? What do you think?”
Lin Jiashi, whose gaze had moved away from Shen Xiu, looked at Ke Zian. The impatience in his eyes disappeared completely as he smiled and shook his head: “An’an, I think you’re absolutely right.”
Xue Yi noticed there were still people talking in the back and sternly said, “Hurry up and move into position. Later, Teacher Zheng and Teacher Ding will also guide you through the lyrics and beats one by one. You only have today. If you want to learn something, give me 120% of your focus. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be practicing on your own—there won’t be any teachers around to guide you like we are.”
Shen Xiu: “!”
What was this—this was exactly the golden opportunity he had been desperately wishing for in his current situation! And the key point was—it was free!
Afraid that there might be no one to teach starting tomorrow, Shen Xiu didn’t dare waste a single moment. For the entire rest of the day, he focused completely as the teachers broke down “Wind and Waves” for them. Every movement, every transition, every tone—Shen Xiu didn’t dare miss a thing.
His eyes were practically glued to the teachers. He didn’t relax for even a second.
In that moment, Shen Xiu could neither hear nor see anything around him. In his eyes, there was only the teachers’ every move and every single word.
There was a multimedia screen that could play the original MV of “Wind and Waves,” but it couldn’t compare to the detailed, in-person instruction from the teachers. No phones allowed, no recordings permitted, and all the other trainees were just as focused.
Whether their sincerity was real or fake, at least on the surface, everyone was showing the right attitude, and the teachers were clearly enjoying teaching them.
At 4 p.m., the training session ended.
Xue Yi stood in front of the trainees. “You’ve been learning for nearly a whole day—should be good to go now, right? Alright, I get it, you’ve all got it down. From now on, whether it’s the song or the dance, the three of us teachers want to see everything. Pick your spots—everyone, dance it through once.”
Trainees: Demon! He didn’t even give them a chance to speak!
Hearing this, Shen Xiu took advantage of the moment Xiang Yueting wasn’t paying attention and quickly shuffled over to the back corner of the last row.
Having successfully made it to the back row, Shen Xiu no longer felt anxious, no more blushing, not even short of breath—he could do this ten times in a row if needed!
But Shen Xiu wasn’t hiding in the back to slack off—he just wanted to dance freely, without the pressure of being watched.
Xue Yi glanced over the room and saw that the trainees who had just been praised earlier had voluntarily taken front-row spots. He was very pleased.
But… where was Shen Xiu?
Xue Yi’s gaze locked onto Shen Xiu in the back right corner in just one second. Speechless.
This wasn’t some morning workout routine where positions were arranged by height—this was a boy group survival show, where you earned screen time with skill. Shen Xiu’s approach just wouldn’t cut it.
A loud voice called out: “Shen Xiu, what are you doing hiding in the back? Come to the front. On stage, we don’t stand by height—we stand by ability. You’ll be up front with Shang Yu, Song Chengwang, Xiang Yueting, and Luo Yuan.”
A slow question mark popped up in Shen Xiu’s head: “?”
The commanding tone of the teacher’s voice compelled him to move forward. At that moment, Shen Xiu lost the joy of being carefree in the back row, dancing happily (no, working out) without pressure.
System: [Tsk. Fate—how mysterious it is. Didn’t see that coming, did you? You dodged Xiang Yueting, but couldn’t escape Xue Yi! Surprised? Delighted?]
Shen Xiu: […If you hadn’t spoken up, I’d have forgotten you even existed.]
System: [I’m here to mess with you. So? Miss me now?]
Shen Xiu (decisively): [Goodbye.] Hopefully forever.
Xue Yi was satisfied. Now the kids in the back could learn the proper movements again from the front row: “Music!”
6:30 PM — The one-day training session with the guest instructors for the theme song was officially over. For the next five days, the trainees would have to practice on their own before facing the theme song evaluation.
To avoid the awkward scene of everyone leaving the studio together in groups, Shen Xiu deliberately lowered his head and pretended to write something on the paper that had been handed out during class.
[That’s what top students are like—even after class, they’re still grinding.]
[Zoom in on the shot—I want to see what Brother Shen is writing. Is it a song? I heard talented people write their own lyrics and compose too. Brother Shen must be writing a song!]
Xiang Yueting was about to ask Shen Xiu to join them for dinner, but Shang Yu stopped him: “Look at how focused he is—probably hit with some sudden inspiration. Let’s not bother him.”
Song Chengwang had also been about to walk over, but stopped when he heard that. He turned his steps and said, “Alright, let’s go.”
Shen Xiu was silently copying the lyrics of “Wind and Waves” onto the paper, his hand moving nonstop even as he kept alert to his surroundings.
By the time he finished writing out the lyrics, the practice room had gone completely silent. Shen Xiu finally looked up and glanced around—he was the only one left in the empty studio.
He instantly felt like he could finally breathe freely.
Gathering up his pen and paper, Shen Xiu stood up and left the practice room.
There was only one elevator in the building, and it was in high demand right now. Shen Xiu stood in front of it, watching the red numbers change.
Suddenly, a voice called out from behind him: “Shen Xiu? What a coincidence, you haven’t left either!”
Shen Xiu froze.
He’d miscalculated—there was still someone else here!
Before he could recover, Lin Jiashi had already come running out from the restroom and appeared at Shen Xiu’s side. He stood less than a step away, tilting his head to look at Shen Xiu. His expression was first excited, then he stuck out his tongue and apologized softly, a little embarrassed: “Ah—sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. I’m…”
The distance was too close, and Shen Xiu’s whole body stiffened. He kept his eyes locked on the elevator display to avoid eye contact. “I know. Trainee No.6, Lin Jiashi.”
To avoid the awkwardness of not remembering names during interactions, Shen Xiu had memorized all 99 trainees’ names—excluding his own—before the first evaluations even started.
After speaking, Shen Xiu nervously pressed his lips together, his jawline taut with tension.
Lin Jiashi looked genuinely surprised and scratched his head with a sheepish smile. “You actually remembered my name? That’s such a surprise. I thought everyone here was so talented, and someone like me—who’s not that good—would be forgettable.”
Shen Xiu thought about how he remembered Lin Jiashi by his distinctive hair color, and, worried the silence would become awkward, forced himself to respond: “It was easy to remember.”
White with a hint of pale pink—it was hard not to remember.
“Thanks!” Lin Jiashi beamed with joy. Then, as if something occurred to him, his expression turned a bit uncertain as he looked at Shen Xiu and asked, “Are you heading to eat? Want to go together?”
