Chapter 22.1: Preparation for the First Performance (2)
He Ting: “If you don’t go soon, all the good teammates will be snatched up.”
“Picking teammates?” Shen Xiu cast a deep, meaningful look at the host, eyes filled with a sorrow only he could understand.
Heh. Naive.
Did he think this person would just join his team just because he wanted them to?
Putting it nicely, the center position captain gets to pick teammates—they have the right to choose. But to put it bluntly, even if you pick someone, that person has to want to be your teammate too.
Only when both sides are willing can the best stage effect be achieved. Otherwise, if two people who don’t get along are in the same group, it’s just going to be awkward for everyone.
If the team doesn’t get along behind the scenes, how can they look harmonious on stage?
Even though he was having an emotional meltdown inside, Shen Xiu said out loud, “Mm, I’ll choose.”
He was choosing right now!
As he spoke, Shen Xiu moved his gaze away from He Ting and let it fall on the trainees.
Thinking of Shen Xiu’s cold look just now, He Ting felt a chill in his heart. Did he say something wrong?
And besides, what kind of C-position captain picks people while standing up there, not even going down to fight for them? Didn’t he see the other C-positions almost done picking from Classes B, C, and D?
In all his years as a host, this was the first time He Ting had seen someone like Shen Xiu.
His advice?
Better drink more hot water and mind his own business.
As a completely ignored C-position, Shen Xiu looked around at the equally ignored trainees…
Huh? Qin Hua wasn’t looking at him?
Didn’t he ask Shen Xiu to teach him how to dance last time? When Shen Xiu was teaching other trainees, Qin Hua was there too, but he hadn’t spoken to him again.
Hmm, not bad, not bad. That’s progress.
Pick him!
Qin Hua had just snuck a hopeful glance at Shen Xiu—only to be caught red-handed by him.
“!”
The boss’s level of perception—truly terrifying!
The next second, Qin Hua saw Shen Xiu walking toward him step by step, his heart pounding so hard it was about to jump out of his chest.
Th-this… could it be what he thinks it is?!
With his target locked in, Shen Xiu strode confidently toward Qin Hua of Class D.
[Ahhhh, Boss Xiu is finally making a move!]
[Who else can relate? I was watching all the people from Classes B and C getting picked, and Boss Xiu still wasn’t moving—I was dying of anxiety!]
[Who? Who’s going to be the first lucky member of Boss Xiu’s group… wait, WHAT??? Why is he heading toward Class D?!]
Standing in front of Qin Hua, Shen Xiu tried to find the right words. A slightly hoarse voice slipped from his thin lips.
“You…”
Crap. This was his first time inviting someone and he was so nervous about being rejected that his voice cracked right at the start. Shen Xiu paused awkwardly.
Hopefully, the other person wouldn’t mind such a small blunder. Shen Xiu sighed, just about to continue, when—
“I ACCEPT!!!” Qin Hua suddenly burst out excitedly.
Shen Xiu: “!”
As expected of the person he chose—he had taste!
Shen Xiu said sincerely, “Thank you.”
Being chosen by Shen Xiu, Qin Hua was so excited he started to stutter. “Y-you’re welcome.”
It was his honor!
Shen Xiu: …And so polite, too.
[Who would’ve thought, sisters… Boss Xiu’s first pick was actually someone from Class D?!]
[I don’t get it. I’m honestly shocked.]
[But wait—don’t forget, our Boss Xiu also goes by another name: Demon King Xiu. For a boss-level demon king like him, does it even matter who he picks? They’re all the same.]
[Damn… I get it now. My understanding of ‘Xiu-studies’ was too shallow.]
To avoid an awkward conversation, Shen Xiu instinctively shifted his gaze elsewhere and saw Ke Zi’an beside Qin Hua, his cheeks slightly flushed.
Ke Zi’an… was a man of few words.
What mattered was that he was obedient, had a very special voice, and, importantly, the last time they met, he didn’t awkwardly bring up anything that would make Shen Xiu feel uncomfortable.
Pick him!
Shen Xiu turned to Ke Zi’an. “You…”
Ke Zi’an stammered, “I—I’m willing, thank you, thank you, Shen Xiu. I practiced everything you taught me, and it worked really well. I’m truly grateful! I’ll definitely work hard and not hold the team back!”
Ke Zi’an didn’t expect a sudden stroke of luck like this. He excitedly blurted out the words he’d secretly wanted to say.
Shen Xiu: “…”
‘The people I pick don’t even need me to say much—they agree right away without rejecting me. What a great bunch of people!’
Shen Xiu’s gaze moved to Class A, where he saw Xiang Yueting wave and run toward him after rejecting Song Chengwang.
“Shen Xiu, I’ve been waiting for you for so long. I totally understood that look you gave me earlier. I got it! See, I’m here now!”
Shen Xiu: So moved!
Xiang Yueting was the one he was closest to, and his dancing skills were amazing.
One less assassination attempt!
Lu Qian, gathering his courage, grabbed Jiang Yuheng’s hand and, with a flushed face, nervously and earnestly approached Shen Xiu. “Shen Xiu, both Jiang Yuheng and I really want to perform with you. Can we join your team?”
Lu Qian and Jiang Yuheng were always talking together, never really coming up to talk to him directly.
Shen Xiu liked these kinds of teammates—those with a sense of boundaries, and Lu Qian was especially proactive and eager to learn.
Shen Xiu: “Sure.”
More good things like this? Bring them on!
As Xie Wenhao watched more and more people gather around Shen Xiu, he couldn’t hold back and, after rejecting Song Chengwang’s invitation, rushed from Class B to Class D’s designated seating area, right in front of Shen Xiu.
He bluntly expressed his thoughts: “I want to join your team too. Just tell me if it’s okay. You can refuse me if you want, it’s fine, I don’t mind.”
Shen Xiu tilted his head and glanced at Xie Wenhao. Instantly, tags like “diligent, hardworking, and full of drive” flashed through his mind.
Very good. It was a pleasant surprise that Xie Wenhao came forward.
Looking into Shen Xiu’s cold and indifferent eyes, Xie Wenhao said he didn’t care, but his heart was racing in his chest.
After all, he wasn’t the most likable person, and he had once foolishly challenged Shen Xiu. It was understandable if Shen Xiu held a grudge, so being rejected wasn’t exactly unexpected…
Shen Xiu: “…Alright.”
Xie Wenhao: “!”
As expected of the person he regarded as both a target and rival—no grudges, and full of guts!
Xie Wenhao spoke with determination: “I’ll work hard. I’ll make sure you don’t regret choosing me!”
Shen Xiu awkwardly responded: “Thanks.”
Forgive him, but other than a simple “thank you,” he really couldn’t think of anything else to say.
This was harder than writing a 3,000-word movie analysis!
Xie Wenhao: “…You’re welcome.”
Shen Xiu’s response was so perfunctory, but it made sense. Shen Xiu himself was already so strong; he surely had full control over his team. Whatever effort Xie Wenhao put in, maybe it wasn’t that significant in Shen Xiu’s eyes.
Seven members now, and the eighth…
“Shen Xiu, can you add me?”
Who wouldn’t want to be closer to the C-position king? Not only would it boost their own standing, but it also meant more camera time.
With Shen Xiu in the team, he had a strong feeling that the first performance’s MV would definitely blow up.
Zhou Tong stepped forward, trying hard to sell himself: “I’m working hard to improve at singing and dancing. I’m much better than before. Even though there was a small mishap during the AI evaluation, I recovered quickly and moved up to Class C. I also know how to do makeup and styling. I can handle any kind of look. If you all don’t mind, I can take care of the stage makeup and styling for everyone—no secrets, I’ll make sure our looks are unified and harmonious.”
“!”
Shen Xiu internally screamed: Good people, all good people, a whole group of good people!
Was this the universe compensating him for his bad luck during the AI evaluation? This is too good!
Shen Xiu: “Welcome!”
So, it was him, plus Qin Hua, Ke Zi’an, Xiang Yueting, Lu Qian, Jiang Yuheng, Xie Wenhao, and Zhou Tong.
That made eight people—enough…
Wait, no, the host said there would be four more people added, with four teams having 9 members to make sure no trainee gets eliminated.
Shen Xiu glanced at his seven teammates gathered around him, though none of them were standing too close.
Although, according to the show’s rules, as the team’s C-position and captain, he had the right to make any decisions for the team, Shen Xiu still wanted to ask for everyone’s opinion.
“I think we should add one more person, what do you all think?”
As soon as Shen Xiu spoke, his teammates had already guessed what he meant.
Xiang Yueting: “It would be too cruel to get eliminated before experiencing a real public performance stage. I agree with you.”
“I agree too!”
“Same here.”
“Go ahead and pick.”
All seven agreed unanimously, and Shen Xiu felt even more moved inside.
See? He had such lovely teammates!
By now, it was clear to everyone that F-Class would likely have four people chosen, so Shen Xiu didn’t bother looking at the other classes. He directly turned his gaze toward F-Class.
There were only eight people in F-Class, and no one had been picked yet.
Shen Xiu immediately noticed the eye-catching pink and white hair.
It was Lin Jiashi.
Lin Jiashi’s hair color and styling were the most striking in all of F-Class, even more so than the trainees in other classes. Even if it wasn’t Shen Xiu, anyone glancing at F-Class would immediately notice him.
At first, Shen Xiu remembered Lin Jiashi because of his pink-and-white hair. Later, his impression of Lin Jiashi changed to “the one always with Ke Zi’an.”
His impression shifted from “beautiful pink-and-white hair” to “the person who’s always with Ke Zi’an.”
[Boss Xiu is looking at Lin Jiashi… This… does he want to teach him well? I’m not sure, I’ve seen Lin Jiashi’s dancing in the live streams from various practice rooms, and it’s not great. I honestly don’t think someone who hasn’t improved much can be taught well.]
[Don’t be silly! I still want to see you lead the whole team to kill it on the debut performance stage.]
[With Lin Jiashi on stage, I can’t even imagine it. What if he gets frustrated and smashes the microphone? For the sake of safety, I think we should pass on him.]
[What’s wrong with him? He’s just a little slow, don’t be too harsh on him. Plus, he’s so delicate and pretty, like a doll. Just having him there would make the stage more visually appealing, and he’d definitely catch the camera’s attention. He’s not useless.]
[I don’t care about whether he’s pretty or not. I just don’t want any mistakes on Boss Xiu’s debut performance stage.]
“Shen Xiu is looking at Lin Jiashi.”
“As expected, being close means they’re treated differently… Wait, isn’t Shen Xiu’s team already at eight people? Could it be that he wants… nine people?”
“Although it’s impossible for me to be chosen, I still admire that Shen Xiu is willing to add one more person, making his team one of the four teams with nine members.”
“Let’s worry about ourselves instead. Sigh, but among us, the one who’s in the worst position is probably Ying Zi’ang—his presence is just too weak.”
“True. Lin Jiashi has the looks, so that’s good. He’s also very approachable. He’s better than all of us, but Ying Zi’ang is a nice guy. He speaks softly, moves quietly, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard him make a sound in the dorm. I actually like having a roommate like him.”
Hearing the soft murmurs behind him and feeling the eyes on him, Lin Jiashi quickly looked up.
Shen Xiu thought about it, and aside from the label changes, there was nothing particularly memorable about Lin Jiashi.
Shen Xiu’s gaze moved past Lin Jiashi and landed on Ying Zi’ang, who was sitting upright in the top left corner behind Lin Jiashi, his gaze turned toward the direction with the most people, clearly waiting with anticipation. There were no other roommates sitting next to him.
Lin Jiashi, who had just looked up in preparation to make eye contact with Shen Xiu, found himself staring at empty space.
Lin Jiashi: “?”
Realizing that Shen Xiu’s gaze was directed past him, toward the camera in front of him, Lin Jiashi restrained himself from turning to look.
