Chapter 16: Theme Song Practice (4)
Two strangers having a meal face-to-face, forced into small talk—what if he accidentally said the wrong thing from nerves, or started stuttering…
Absolute nightmare!
Just imagining it made Shen Xiu feel like he couldn’t breathe.
“No, thanks.”
To save himself, Shen Xiu kept his eyes fixed on the elevator display, forcing himself to speak and firmly reject the offer.
Ding!
The elevator finally arrived. Shen Xiu practically rushed in, hitting the button for the 6th floor, trying to use the motion to cover up the pounding of his heart—sped up from the stress of turning someone down.
But—
His mom was right: once you learn to say “no,” there’s this strange sense of satisfaction. Even if… in his short life, the number of times he’s ever rejected someone was basically nonexistent.
Shen Xiu: …I’m so emo. I’m honestly useless.
Lin Jiashi, on the other hand, only saw Shen Xiu’s cold, dark eyes dim even further after rejecting him.
Lin Jiashi stepped into the elevator and asked hesitantly, “Why? Is it… that you don’t want to eat with me?”
Misunderstood again. Shen Xiu stiffened and explained, “No, I have something else to do.”
This was his problem!
Even without Lin Jiashi’s invitation, the cafeteria would definitely be packed right now. If given the choice, Shen Xiu would always rather wait until the crowd thinned out.
Lin Jiashi: “Oh… I see.”
He tilted his head, sneaking a glance at Shen Xiu’s cold profile and indifferent expression. Recalling how emotionless and blunt that rejection had been, Lin Jiashi swallowed nervously.
Forcing a small smile, he said, “Then… I’ll invite you again next time.”
“Mm.”
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Shen Xiu didn’t stay even a second longer—he strode out quickly without looking back.
As expected—he really couldn’t handle enthusiastic people!
[Shen Xiu is way too cold. Gotta give Lin Jiashi credit—he actually dared to talk to him. If it were me, just standing next to a walking ice machine like that—tall, built, and radiating serious intimidation—I’d be shivering. Talking to him? No chance.]
[If you think about it, aside from super extroverts like Xiang Yueting or top-tier trainees like Shen Xiu himself, hardly anyone dares to talk to him.]
[That’s just how Lin Jiashi is—bubbly, energetic, like a little sun, warm and kind to everyone.]
[Come to think of it, Lin Jiashi is No.6 and Shen Xiu is No. 66. Their personalities are total opposites—must be fate! Though… not much of it, lol.]
Watching Shen Xiu’s retreating figure—cold to the very core, even his back looked chilly—Lin Jiashi finally looked away. His gaze landed on the elevator buttons. After a few seconds of hesitation, he pressed “1”.
As the elevator doors closed, Lin Jiashi tilted his head back to watch the numbers tick down, blinking and biting his lower lip.
[He’s too cute—who wouldn’t love that fluffy white-and-pink hair?]
[Wait, where’s Ke Zi’an?]
[Ke Zi’an? Who?]
[From Class F—he’s always with Lin Jiashi. They go everywhere together like Siamese twins. Anyone who watches the Class F dorm livestreams knows—they’re basically the F-Class twins.]
—
In the cafeteria—
The trainees from Class F immediately spotted Lin Jiashi in the crowd, thanks to his standout hair. One of them, Ye Cheng, waved him over from his seat: “Jiashi! Over here! Come sit!”
But Lin Jiashi walked straight toward a window-side corner instead.
Watching him lean over to buy food, Ye Cheng’s expression turned awkward. He felt like everyone was watching him, and his ears flushed red.
Gao Fujiang, sitting across from him, tried to comfort him: “Don’t worry, it’s fine. The cafeteria’s too loud right now—maybe Jiashi didn’t hear you.”
Ye Cheng thought it over and nodded, choosing not to dwell on it. He lowered his head and started eating.
—
In the Class F dorm, Lin Jiashi returned with takeout from the cafeteria. As soon as he pushed the door open, he spotted Xia Wenhao from Class C sitting on Ke Zi’an’s bed, chatting with him.
“Wenhao came to see An’an, huh?”
Xia Wenhao responded with a simple, “Yeah.”
Ke Zi’an looked up at Lin Jiashi, a little concerned. “Jiashi, is your stomach feeling better? Do you need to ask the dorm manager for some medicine?”
Lin Jiashi tilted his head and smiled. “Went to the bathroom, feel way better now. No need to bother the manager—thanks for checking, An’an.”
Hearing that, Ke Zi’an relaxed and went back to his conversation with Xia Wenhao.
About ten minutes later, Xia Wenhao left the Class F dorm.
Lin Jiashi pulled a chair aside and called out to Ke Zi’an, “Wanna eat something? I brought back some of your favorites from the cafeteria.”
Hearing that, Ke Zi’an’s eyes lit up. He had eaten earlier with Xia Wenhao, but Wenhao had insisted he watch his figure and only let him eat half a bowl. He was still a bit hungry, so he eagerly moved his chair to the spot Lin Jiashi had cleared.
“I’ll just eat a little bit!”
“An’an, I bumped into Shen Xiu in the elevator just now—and we actually talked!”
At the mention of Shen Xiu’s name, the other roommates who had been quietly minding their own business suddenly perked up, their eyes instinctively locking onto Lin Jiashi.
Ke Zi’an was stunned. “You and Wenhao are both so brave. I don’t even dare talk to Shen Xiu—he looks so cold and aloof.”
Lin Jiashi replied, “Really? I used to think that too, but after talking to him today, I realized he’s actually pretty nice. He’s kind of gentle, even. We’ve never spoken before, but before I could even introduce myself, he already knew my name.”
Ke Zi’an was surprised. “For real? It must be because you’re just too cute and good-looking!”
Lin Jiashi chuckled. “Well, who knows—maybe Shen Xiu could remember your name too.”
Ke Zi’an whispered, “No way… I’m so unnoticeable. I’m not good at singing or dancing. Only you and Wenhao even remember me.”
Lin Jiashi encouraged him, cheeks puffed out from eating, “An’an, be more confident. You’re amazing. Look—Wenhao and I, even Shen Xiu remembered our names. You definitely can too!”
Ke Zi’an thought about the real reason why Xia Wenhao had left such an impression on Shen Xiu, and his expression turned a little awkward. He shrank into a tiny ball of defeat. “I-I think I’ll pass…”
“You, you.” Lin Jiashi sighed with an exaggerated look of helplessness.
[Don’t sell yourself short, An’an. I remember you! Your singing voice is super unique! Really clean and pure!]
[Totally get Ke Zi’an. Talking to Shen Xiu takes courage—his face is already icy cold, but his gaze is even colder. Just looking at him is intimidating. Better to admire from afar.]
—
Class A Dormitory.
The cafeteria was too crowded, so Shen Xiu sat at the dorm desk beneath his bed, writing and sketching to pass the time until it cleared out.
The dorm had a fixed-angle camera, so the viewers in the livestream could only see Shen Xiu scribbling or sketching at his desk under the bed—but the camera couldn’t zoom in, so no one knew exactly what he was writing or drawing.
[I’m dying of curiosity. Can we get a camera crew in the dorm too? @Youth Unstoppable Production Team]
[Calling it now—he’s writing a song again, isn’t he?]
[Eureka! Shen Xiu’s inspiration from the practice room clearly wasn’t finished. When he told Lin Jiashi in the elevator he had something to do, it was definitely so he could come back to the dorm and keep writing. No doubt—he’s working on a song!]
After finishing the last stroke of his pen, Shen Xiu heard Xiang Yueting’s voice and the footsteps of other dormmates outside the door. He immediately capped the pen, stuffed the paper—covered in writing and drawings—into the drawer, and stood up to open the dorm door.
Xiang Yueting saw Shen Xiu and paused in surprise. “Shen Xiu? Why are you in the dorm instead of eating?”
Shen Xiu replied coolly, “Had something to do.”
Shen Xiu didn’t dare admit that he was just being a coward—lingering in the dorm on purpose to avoid going to eat at the same time as everyone else.
Please, just don’t ask him what that “something” was! Forgive him… he just wanted to save a tiny bit of face.
Shang Yu said, “Go eat now.”
“Mm.” Shen Xiu shot Shang Yu a grateful glance—thanking him silently for giving him an excuse to leave.
As they watched the cold-faced Shen Xiu walk out, Xiang Yueting was still puzzled. “What kind of thing could make someone skip a meal?”
Even Shang Yu didn’t quite understand what that blank, distant look Shen Xiu had given him before leaving was supposed to mean.
Song Chengwang clapped Xiang Yueting on the shoulder. “You blockhead, what else could it be? Obviously, Shen Xiu was hit with inspiration and forgot about food.”
Shang Yu nodded thoughtfully. “I’ve heard that when genius-level people get inspired, they really can’t stop—everything else just fades out.”
Jiang Yanxi chimed in, “Now I’m really curious what Shen Xiu wrote. Aren’t you guys curious too?”
The four of them nodded in unison. “Totally!”
[Who wouldn’t be curious about what Shen Xiu wrote when he was so inspired he skipped food and sleep? I’m dying to know too!]
[It’s in the drawer, right? Can we form a group to sneak a peek? Anyone in?]
Zhuang Yi: “So… where exactly is the paper Shen Xiu wrote on?”
Xiang Yueting’s eyes landed on Shen Xiu’s desk and spotted the slightly ajar drawer—with about a finger-width gap. “Must be in there. He didn’t even close it all the way.”
