Chapter 41: Preparation for the Second Performance (4)
While the team members were nervous, they were also full of anticipation.
Faced with their gazes, Shen Xiu had now learned to hypnotize himself, numb his senses, block them out as much as possible, and pretend he hadn’t noticed everyone’s burning stares.
He picked out the sheet of paper with the names Zhou Tong, Ke Zi’an, and Yuan Jiafei from the ones he had torn off, then looked at the three of them.
As Shen Xiu’s cool gaze landed on them, the three couldn’t help but hold their breath and straighten their backs.
Shen Xiu said, “Zhou Tong, Ke Zi’an, Yuan Jiafei.”
The three of them responded in unison, “Here!”
Their voices were so loud that the words Shen Xiu was about to say were scared right back down his throat.
After pausing for two seconds, Shen Xiu glanced at the notebook on the table where he had written his lines in advance, and finally forced out the words that had been scared away.
“Your lyrics for the creative test were very detailed, great at setting the scene, and emotionally moving. You all have a strong storytelling ability. So, the verses will be assigned to you three. I’ve written the specific requirements on the paper. If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me.”
Zhou Tong was pushed forward by Ke Zi’an and Yuan Jiafei to receive the paper from Shen Xiu’s hands.
After taking it, Zhou Tong didn’t dare pause for even a moment and quickly rushed back to his teammates.
The three of them huddled together, curious to see what Shen Xiu had written on the paper.
Once they finished reading, they looked at each other in disbelief, expressions stunned.
The other team members were dying of curiosity after seeing their reactions. But since they were right under Shen Xiu’s watchful eye, they didn’t dare to gather around and could only crane their necks eagerly from a distance.
Yet Zhou Tong held the paper tightly, while Yuan Jiafei and Ke Zi’an leaned in close beside him, blocking it completely from view. The rest of them couldn’t see a thing.
Not even a sliver of a gap—so frustrating!
With three fewer sets of eyes staring at him, Shen Xiu felt just a tiny bit more relaxed. He glanced at the notes in his notebook and continued, “Xia Wenhao, the lyrics you wrote are very unique—intense, bizarre, and twisted. They’re incredibly memorable and hard to forget, so the chorus will go to you.”
With the verses by Ke Zi’an, Zhou Tong, and Yuan Jiafei gradually building emotional depth and layering tension, they would need something explosive like Xia Wenhao’s writing to bring the song to its climax.
Since this is the peak of the song, there could be no holding back. What they needed was wildness and impact—something unforgettable.
So Shen Xiu gave a reminder: “Don’t hold back—write freely.”
Xia Wenhao hadn’t expected Shen Xiu to actually go up to the 10th floor and check out the lyrics from the creative test. He felt both happy and embarrassed.
He had thought only Teacher Xue would see them. He hadn’t imagined Shen Xiu would as well.
Thankfully, Shen Xiu didn’t think he was mentally unwell. On the contrary, he actually appreciated his style.
As Xia Wenhao stepped forward to take the paper, he solemnly promised, “Don’t worry—I’ll give it everything I’ve got!”
“Ye Cheng, Gao Yongshi, you two have a great sense for music. Once the song is done, you’ll be in charge of the intro, transitions between the verses and chorus, and the outro.”
“Zhao Mingwei, Song Junying—you two got the highest scores in the dance assessment, and you’ve said before that you can choreograph, so you’ll be in charge of the choreography.”
After assigning tasks to everyone, Shen Xiu finished with, “I’ll be responsible for the final integration and revisions.”
No matter whether it was the lyrics for the verses or the chorus, or the choreography—they couldn’t be used straight as they were. Everything needed to be synthesized and refined.
“And of course, everything must be completed today.”
Today?!
Even with two days, it wasn’t guaranteed they’d finish. This wasn’t just “pushing ducks onto a perch”—this was putting a knife to the duck’s neck!
During the earlier creative assessment, even though everyone had written something, could that kind of private evaluation really compare to the significance of a second performance track?
Could they… really write something good?
The team members hadn’t even recovered from their shock when, in the next moment, Shen Xiu’s follow-up made them question their entire existence.
His gaze fell on the three in charge of the verses—Ke Zi’an and the others. “You must finish writing the verses by noon.”
“Xia Wenhao, same goes for you.”
“Ye Cheng, Zhao Mingwei, Song Junying, Gao Yongshi—I’ll give you the completed version of the song at 2 PM. You must finish your parts by 7 PM.”
Team members: “???”
Were they all hallucinating?
Shen Xiu had already mapped it out in his mind—use the two hours at noon to roughly integrate the verses and chorus, and by 7 PM the full song and dance would be ready.
From 7 PM to midnight, he’d have a full five hours for final revisions.
If everything went smoothly, training could start at 9 AM the next morning.
After assigning the tasks, Shen Xiu followed procedure and asked, “Do you have confidence?”
Under his cold, sharp gaze, no one dared to say no. Bracing themselves, they all responded, “Yes.”
Was Boss Shen seriously putting them on the same level as himself?!
The newly added team members knew Shen Xiu might be strict, but they hadn’t expected this level of pressure—this wasn’t just strict, it was straight-up severe.
Could they really pull it off?
Shen Xiu added, “During the process, if you have any questions, you can come to me anytime.”
Hearing that, everyone felt just a little bit more alive. This time, their response was much louder than before: “Okay!”
Shen Xiu: “Then let’s begin.”
With that, he closed his notebook and left the practice room.
On one hand, Shen Xiu was worried that if he stayed in the practice room, the team would feel too uneasy. On the other hand, he needed to borrow some items from the production crew.
Thanks to the time spent learning from Zhou Tong during the first stage’s dance rehearsals, Shen Xiu had now mastered not only the shameless art of asking the production team for stuff, but also a wide range of styling and makeup skills.
[Oh heavens, oh God, what exactly did my dear Xiu Xiu say?! Why couldn’t we hear it—it’s pure agony!]
[Why did everyone’s expression change after Boss Shen said something? And why did they look better again afterward? I hate the production team for acting like riddle masters!]
[Where is my royal lip-reading translator?! If they don’t show up soon, I’m gonna riot—waaahhh!]
[Ahem, sisters… knowing this program’s usual antics, I’ve got a bad feeling about this…]
…
Inside the practice room.
After Shen Xiu left, the group clearly relaxed. Having been under his gaze for so long, they couldn’t help but start chatting.
Not because they were feeling especially leisurely—but after being under so much pressure, their mouths just wanted to move, like a release.
It was just like back in school—no one dared to talk during class, but the moment class ended, you had to gather around and blabber a bit to decompress.
“Now that Captain Xiu’s gone, even the air feels warmer.”
“When he’s staring at you, that’s what true pressure feels like.”
“But… where did Captain Xiu go?”
At that, everyone fell silent.
“No one dares to ask.”
“Since we have to finish everything today, instead of worrying about where he went, we should probably worry about ourselves.”
“True… if we don’t finish in time… ugh, I don’t even wanna imagine. Captain Xiu’s presence is so strong and cold—he might freeze us into idiots.”
Less than five minutes later, all the team members saw the little short story at the top of the paper, which described the theme of their song.
The story wasn’t long—barely five hundred words—but even so, the short piece left the team members with stinging eyes and a heavy feeling in their hearts.
Yuan Jiafei said, “I didn’t expect that, even though Shen Xiu put us in charge of the verses, he still wrote out the creative notes and song summary so thoroughly. He even detailed what kind of emotion each section of the lyrics should carry. With that much guidance, it doesn’t actually feel that hard to finish by noon.”
Ke Zi’an murmured, “From the theme story and the preview of the emotional arc Shen Xiu wants to express, it’s like I can instantly grasp the transition from repression to redemption and finally to explosion…”
The other four, who wouldn’t need to start until the afternoon, leaned in to look at the notes Shen Xiu had given to Ke Zi’an’s trio and Xia Wenhao.
After reading, they all exclaimed in amazement, “As expected of Shen Xiu!”
Zhou Tong said, “After reading what he wrote, my mind and emotions are both fired up—I can already see the scenes playing out in my head. If we still can’t write lyrics that satisfy him, I don’t think I’d have the face to look him in the eye!”
Xia Wenhao nodded firmly. “Yeah!”
Then he looked at the other seven in the room, eyes full of determination, and stretched out his hand. “So, to not let Shen Xiu down—and to make sure we don’t drag him back—we have to give it our all!”
With resolute expressions, the other seven placed their hands on top of his. Eight hands stacked together, a firm and united voice rang through the quiet practice room:
“Let’s do this!!!”
Viewers were watching in total confusion.
[Wait… what just happened? What did I miss? Why are they suddenly shouting motivational slogans?]
[Heh. As a mature viewer, I’ve silently added the production team to my hit list.]
Just then, Shen Xiu pushed open the practice room door, holding a black bag in one hand—and the first thing he saw was the group with their hands stacked together.
Shen Xiu: Hm?
None of the team members had expected that the very moment they finished their cheer—and before they could even lower their hands—Shen Xiu would walk in.
Afraid that Shen Xiu might think they were slacking off, everyone hastily withdrew their hands and scattered into small groups, each looking for a quiet corner to get started on the tasks Shen Xiu had assigned.
But seeing everyone with their hands together like that earlier, it was clear they had just been cheering each other on—and as their captain, Shen Xiu felt he shouldn’t be left out.
Shen Xiu closed the door behind him and stiffly turned to face the group. “Keep it up.” This time, with everyone working together, they were definitely going to make it.
Hearing Shen Xiu’s cool, detached voice, the team members froze. The tips of their ears turned red, and their faces flushed with heat.
He must have heard us cheering at the door… so embarrassing!
“Ahem… got it.”
“Yeah, thanks, Captain Xiu.”
Shen Xiu set the black bag down on a table against the wall. From it, he pulled out eight pairs of noise-canceling headphones and laid them out neatly. “Here are noise-canceling headphones. If you need them, come and get a pair.”
Then he walked over and sat down at the multimedia station. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to come to me.”
“…Okay.”
Easier said than done, the team members thought, screaming internally. Who has the courage to actually approach Shen Xiu?!
Still… so that’s why he went out—to get them headphones? How thoughtful!
Thanks to Shen Xiu’s thorough prep work, both the verse and chorus sections were finished before noon.
Finished, yes—but whether they were good or not was another matter.
When Zhou Tong and Xia Wenhao handed over their sheets to Shen Xiu, they were clearly uneasy.
Zhou Tong asked, “Captain Xiu, could you take a look… is it okay?”
Xia Wenhao added, “If there’s anything wrong, just say it—don’t go easy on me! I can handle it!”
Shen Xiu picked up the two sets of lyrics from the table. With people standing right in front of him, he was a little nervous himself. Doing his best to ignore their presence, he focused all his attention on reviewing their work.
During the few short minutes they waited for Shen Xiu’s feedback, Zhou Tong and Xia Wenhao felt like every second dragged on for an eternity.
The whole situation seriously gave them flashbacks—like being called out by the homeroom teacher in front of the entire class.
As the two of them stood there, palms sweating from nerves, Shen Xiu finally finished reading.
He looked up at them, his voice dry as he spoke: “Both are really good. There are just a few minor details—I’ll make some adjustments, and it’ll be fine.”
After he finished speaking, Shen Xiu paused for a couple of seconds to catch his breath before adding: “Good work.”
Captain Xiu actually said their writing was really good!
Zhou Tong and Xia Wenhao felt the weight lift from their chests, and they responded with voices that trembled with excitement: “It wasn’t hard at all!”
Shen Xiu said, “Go grab some lunch.”
With people around, he found it hard to concentrate. He was worried that if he got distracted, it might affect the overall quality of the integrated song, and by extension, the group’s performance.
“Okay!”
As soon as Shen Xiu said their work was good, everyone’s tense posture unconsciously relaxed. They answered cheerfully and headed out in high spirits.
When the door closed behind them, Shen Xiu finally let out a breath of relief. He uncapped his pen, opened his notebook, laid out the verse and chorus drafts, and began to write.
Click!
He had barely written a single character when the previously shut door suddenly burst open. Shen Xiu nearly lost control of the pen and carved a deep line into the paper.
Startled, Shen Xiu looked up, his eyes wide with alarm.
Xia Wenhao poked his head through the door. Under Shen Xiu’s icy stare, he braced himself and asked: “Shen Xiu, what do you want for lunch? We’ll bring it back for you.”
Although Shen Xiu had said their writing was good, judging by how he looked now, he might end up working all through lunch to make revisions.
Hearing Xia Wenhao’s question, Shen Xiu suddenly remembered how the team had shown him the same kind of care back during the first round of stage training. His chest tightened with emotion.
He swallowed hard. When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse from being moved: “Anything’s fine. I can eat whatever.”
Whether it was his previous team or this one, the trainees Shen Xiu had worked with were all genuinely good people.
And that goodness—bit by bit—was easing his resistance to the outside world, making him feel more alive and expressive than before. He was no longer just going through the motions like a machine, no longer merely surviving out of obligation to his past.
Was it just a simple meal? No—it was his teammates’ care and concern for him!
What more could he possibly ask for? What right did he have to be picky?
Besides… he’d never had the privilege of being picky about food growing up—he really could eat anything.
Giving the same answer as before, Xia Wenhao nodded, “Got it!”
The door closed again. Shen Xiu took a deep breath, pulling himself out of the wave of emotion. Then, he put on his noise-canceling headphones, turned his gaze back to the story synopsis he had written, and the lyrics from the team. Immersing himself in the story, he picked up his pen and continued writing…
…
In the hallway.
As soon as Xia Wenhao closed the door, the team headed toward the elevator, bombarding him with excited questions.
“Well? What did the captain say? What does he want to eat?”
“Shen Xiu said anything’s fine,” Xia Wenhao replied.
Yuan Jiafei scratched his head in confusion.
“Wait, aren’t all big shots supposed to be picky eaters? You know, like ‘no carrots, no cilantro, no celery, no chicken’ or whatever.”
Ke Zi’an said quietly, “I don’t eat cilantro or fish mint either… and I’m definitely not a big shot.”
Zhou Tong added, “If we’re just talking about cilantro and fish mint, I don’t eat them either.”
Gao Yongshi huffed indignantly, “Cilantro and fish mint are delicious! Carrots are the real problem. You guys have no taste!”
Song Junying chimed in, “Exactly! Fish mint!”
Ye Cheng said thoughtfully,“Uh… guys, maybe we should focus on what Shen Xiu eats.”
As someone who enjoyed literally everything, Ye Cheng honestly couldn’t understand how this even turned into an argument in the first place.
Afraid of disappointing Shen Xiu, Xia Wenhao had been fully focused while writing the lyrics—so much so that he felt like his brain cells were nearly depleted. Now, hearing his teammates arguing over food, he couldn’t even muster the energy to roll his eyes. He leaned against the elevator wall, eyes closed, and spoke calmly:
“Maybe… have you ever heard that when someone is truly powerful—both in background and in their own strength—the outside world often doesn’t know their exact preferences?”
“Even when it comes to food, they deliberately keep it a secret. Because if someone were to find out, it’d be easy to tamper with the things they like—and that could be dangerous.”
As soon as Xia Wenhao said that, the rest of the team suddenly understood.
“Holy crap, so that’s why the captain eats everything but never shows a particular preference—he’s being careful!”
“Can’t believe Shen Xiu is that cautious… but it makes sense.”
—
After leaving their practice rooms, the broadcast audio returned to normal, and the viewers could hear the trainees’ voices again.
[Whoa, I never even thought of that!]
[Now that Xia Wenhao explained it, it makes so much sense. No wonder at formal dinners, my sister only takes tiny bites of everything, never eats anything fully, and always drinks just a little—it’s to avoid exposing preferences and being manipulated.]
[Imagine if we’re all at a dinner table and someone puts something into my favorite dish… and I’m the only one who finishes it—that’s terrifying. You wouldn’t even see it coming.]
[Okay but… fish mint!!]
[LMAO you’re really stubborn, huh? Nothing can sway you.]
—
Meanwhile, over at the That Summer We Were Young drama crew—
Duan Mingfei was scheduled to attend an event, and Du Heng had taken time off to drive to the set and pick him up.
The event venue wasn’t far from the filming base. After changing into his formal suit for the event, Duan Mingfei leaned back in the nanny van with his eyes closed, resting while the makeup artist carefully applied his makeup.
Halfway through the drive, Duan Mingfei suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze locking straight onto his manager sitting in the front passenger seat.
He asked, “What’s the situation with the That Summer crew leaks?”
Du Heng had broken into a cold sweat the day he bought the trending topic slot, only to be overshadowed by Youth Unstoppable and Shen Xiu going viral with a bunch of other trainees.
Not wanting Duan Mingfei to get upset before the event—which could negatively affect things—Du Heng skillfully spun the narrative:
“There was a little hiccup that day, so the post didn’t go through. But I bought another one afterward, and it worked really well. Fans loved your look in the drama.”
In the following days, he had indeed bought new trending posts, with processed data that made the popularity appear high and engaging.
A smile appeared on Duan Mingfei’s face. “Well done.”
“Haha… just doing my job,” Du Heng laughed awkwardly, secretly hoping the topic would end there.
But Duan Mingfei wasn’t ready to let it go. He asked, “What about Shen Xiu?”
Du Heng hesitated: “…Sorry, Brother Ming. I couldn’t find anything about Shen Xiu at all.”
“What did you say?”
Duan Mingfei’s expression changed instantly, turning cold. “Didn’t I tell you to hire a private investigator?”
Du Heng replied, “I did.”
He knew Duan Mingfei’s temper all too well—there was no way he’d dare to ignore the order.
Hiring people to dig into others’ private affairs was something that couldn’t be said publicly, but in the industry, it was common practice. Du Heng didn’t think he had done anything wrong.
But the results had indeed been disappointing. In a low voice, he muttered, “I hired several, but none of them turned up anything.”
“I don’t believe it!”
Duan Mingfei’s voice suddenly rose in pitch, but he quickly realized his emotions were getting out of control. He took a deep breath, forcing down the agitation inside.
He said, “A person living in this world—born, studying, working, all the way to death—leaves behind traces. And now you’re telling me that you can’t find anything about Shen Xiu? Isn’t that a joke?”
Likewise, no matter who it is, as long as they’re human, it’s impossible to be flawless and completely without weakness.
Du Heng replied, “I understand what you’re saying, Brother Ming, but I’ve never dared to lie to you—you know that. And I swear, I couldn’t find even the tiniest bit of information on Shen Xiu.”
“His classmates, even his teachers—nothing. It’s like some kind of force is deliberately shielding Shen Xiu’s background.”
“Shielded?” Duan Mingfei muttered, frowning at the word, then gave a cold chuckle. “I see now.”
“I knew it. No one rises that quickly on their own. Turns out he has someone powerful backing him.”
If Du Heng couldn’t dig up anything, it probably meant Shen Xiu’s background had been protected.
Since that path was blocked, Duan Mingfei thought back to the structure of the talent competition and decided to try another route.
“Doesn’t the boy group show have that special benefit collab stage segment? Contact the production team and tell them I’ll participate. I won’t even ask for much compensation.”
Given his current status in the entertainment industry, the production team would definitely welcome him with open arms.
By getting close to Shen Xiu personally, he didn’t believe he wouldn’t be able to get something out of him.
Du Heng also saw this as the only viable way to get close to Shen Xiu at the moment. He nodded, “Got it, Brother Ming. I’ll reach out to the production team right away!”
