Chapter 62: Preparation for the Third Performance (4)
Did he see that right? Song Chengwang rubbed his eyes—this was the first time he’d seen someone voluntarily jump into a pit.
With both the prelude and the first verse being relatively flat, drawing the audience in using only the voice was the most difficult part of the song. If Shen Xiu failed to enchant the audience, he could easily be criticized.
The best part that everyone voted to give to Shen Xiu was the beginning of the chorus—the part where the song’s emotion reaches its peak and explodes.
The reason they gave this part to Shen Xiu, on one hand, was because of an earlier suggestion to determine positioning based on height. Among the entire group, whether in terms of height, looks, or vocal tone, everyone was convinced that Shen Xiu should be the center. For the sake of overall harmony, it made perfect sense for the first climax of Heaven to fall to Shen Xiu.
On the other hand, it was also an unspoken form of compensation for Shen Xiu.
After all, it wasn’t just the beginning that was hard—the ending was as well.
The outro and the final few lines of lyrics returned to the song’s initial calmness. However, in terms of lyrical meaning, the calmness now carried a different weight.
Pulling off a perfect ending would again place pressure on Shen Xiu. If he failed to deliver, it would be seen as a major flaw.
Each of them had voted based on what they personally believed suited the song best, which was why they all felt a bit guilty when they heard Song Chengwang announce the results.
Who would’ve thought they’d all end up thinking the same way?
Unsurprisingly, with an overwhelming number of votes, Shen Xiu was set to sing both the most difficult beginning and the ending. Everyone felt guilty.
Shen Xiu waited for a while, puzzled that Song Chengwang hadn’t read out his own vote.
Had he been reading for so long that he lost his voice?
Just as Shen Xiu was about to stop waiting for Song Chengwang and directly write down his own vote on paper, Lu Qian, noticing Song Chengwang’s silence, looked at him in confusion and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Song Chengwang glanced at Shen Xiu and saw that he was still looking down, calmly holding a pen, seemingly waiting for him to read the result.
His Adam’s apple bobbed a few times before he quietly replied, “It’s nothing.”
He was just stunned by Shen Xiu’s answer.
“I’ll continue,” Song Chengwang said. Then, in front of everyone, he solemnly read out Shen Xiu’s vote.
A minute later, when Song Chengwang finished reading the last word on the paper, the members of Team Heaven looked at each other in silence. At that moment, a storm of emotions surged within them.
They finally understood why Song Chengwang had frozen upon seeing Shen Xiu’s vote.
When it came to the parts assigned to himself, Shen Xiu had made the exact same choices as the other eight members!
What difference was there between that and knowingly throwing yourself into a pit?
At that moment, they suddenly realized something—Shen Xiu had predicted their choices from the very beginning.
That’s why, when all eight of them ended up assigning him nearly identical parts, Shen Xiu had remained calm the whole time, completely unsurprised.
They were astonished, but also felt that this was exactly the kind of thing Shen Xiu would do.
At that moment, a shared thought formed in everyone’s mind.
Shen Xiu had voluntarily chosen to take on the hardest parts and firmly committed to the climax of Heaven.
On one hand, it was clearly because he believed it was the responsibility of someone strong. But at the same time, he had a clear understanding of his own abilities—and the confidence that he could handle Heaven’s first explosive peak.
On the other hand, what the others might consider difficult, Shen Xiu didn’t even think twice about—so he made his choices without hesitation.
This… must be what they call a true master’s mindset!
So, all that worrying earlier about Shen Xiu possibly getting upset was for nothing. It really just proved how little they understood him. No—rather, it’s that a true expert’s heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea: impossible to read.
While they felt guilty, thinking they’d thrown Shen Xiu into the fire by assigning him the hardest parts based on vocal fit, Shen Xiu himself remained completely calm and indifferent, full of confidence.
After writing down the final vote, Shen Xiu quietly took another pen in a different color and began drawing lines on the paper, marking out each person’s assigned parts based on the tally of all nine votes.
Immersed in the process, Shen Xiu didn’t even notice how everyone’s gazes had started to shift as they looked at him.
When he finished organizing and finally looked up, he saw all eyes fixed squarely on him.
He didn’t think much of it—just assumed they were waiting for the final breakdown.
So he naturally said, “The tally’s done. Take a look and see if there are any issues.”
Throughout the process, Shen Xiu had purely based his voting on each person’s voice. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with the way he made his choices.
Seeing his calm expression as he presented the results, everyone else: “……”
Great. Judging by his expression, we were absolutely right about him!
“No issues.”
“Looks good. Let’s go with it.”
“No objections here.”
“Does this mean we’re done assigning parts?”
“Since no one has objections, I’d say we’re done.”
“It’s 7:30 now, and I’m starving. How about we go eat?”
“Sure, let’s go.”
Shen Xiu: “……”
Did everyone just forget something?
Shen Xiu had a habit of completing the tasks he mentally scheduled within the set time—he didn’t want to risk delaying tomorrow’s plans.
Worried that everyone might actually leave, Shen Xiu forced himself to speak up and remind them, “We haven’t arranged the formation yet.”
Lu Fei slapped his forehead. “Almost forgot!”
Everyone immediately paused their discussion about dinner and switched to talking about their positions on stage.
Shang Yu suggested, “Let’s arrange ourselves in an umbrella-shaped formation based on height—it’ll look balanced.”
Song Chengwang straightforwardly stepped in front of the mirror. “Let’s do it facing the mirror. Everyone find the spot that suits their height.”
Shen Xiu added quietly, “We’ll be getting standardized shoes from the production team on the day of the performance. If we stand barefoot now, it’ll be easier to get the positions right.”
Everyone’s shoes were different, and when standing side-by-side without choreography, shoe height, style, and color could all differ and disrupt visual harmony. It was better to base the formation on natural height from the start—then, when they wore matching shoes later, today’s positioning wouldn’t be affected.
Everyone was already hungry and didn’t want to waste time, so no one objected to what the three had said.
As for Shen Xiu’s suggestion, they were both surprised and impressed.
Something as minor as shoe height hadn’t even occurred to them.
But once they remembered it came from Shen Xiu, it immediately made sense.
As the tallest member of Team Heaven, Shen Xiu naturally needed to be the central benchmark for the umbrella-shaped formation, and everyone instinctively looked toward him.
Understanding what they meant, Shen Xiu—with everyone’s heated gazes on him—stiffly stepped into the center spot in front of the mirror, making it easier for the others to find their places on either side.
Everyone instinctively took off their shoes and moved around Shen Xiu to adjust their spots, occasionally glancing at his reflection to make sure things aligned.
Song Chengwang and Shang Yu, both 187 cm tall, stood on Shen Xiu’s left and right, having already found their positions.
As the benchmark in the middle, Shen Xiu, flanked by Song Chengwang and Shang Yu, stood stiff and awkward, like a perfectly straight pine tree, silently enduring the moment.
Not only did Shen Xiu dare not move his body, he didn’t even let his eyes wander—his gaze locked only with his own reflection in the mirror. He was terrified of making eye contact with Song Chengwang or Shang Yu, which would only double the awkwardness.
Please, just let this end soon!
Expressionless on the outside, Shen Xiu was mentally praying to every deity he could think of—the Jade Emperor, Queen Mother of the West, Guanyin, Buddha, God, angels—every divine being from East and West.
And finally, after five long minutes of silent prayers, it was over. Shen Xiu now had four members on each side, forming a perfect umbrella-shaped formation.
Everyone looked at the mirror—at Shen Xiu standing steady and centered as the group’s visual center—and at Shang Yu and Song Chengwang flanking him. They couldn’t help but feel impressed.
In terms of visuals, their group didn’t just pass—they were elite. Their presence was overpowering. More importantly, the atmosphere was solid and commanding. At the very least, it was impossible to look away from them.
Having held his composure for so long, Shen Xiu finally couldn’t bear it anymore and asked softly, “Are we done for today?”
Hearing his usual calm, cool voice brought everyone back to reality.
“Done, done.”
“Make sure you all remember your positions—we’ll practice in this exact formation tomorrow.”
Once they mentioned practice, the group got chatty again.
“Make sure to ask the production team for those long fixed-position microphones we can place on the floor.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve made a note.”
“What time do we start tomorrow morning?”
“Nine?”
“No way, that’s too late. We only have three days to practice—make it eight.”
“I agree, eight sounds better.”
“Eight it is.”
“OK, then 8:00 a.m. tomorrow.”
Shen Xiu wasn’t one to talk much, and he had no objection to the time they agreed on, so he stayed quiet. When everyone looked at him for confirmation, he simply nodded or gave a brief “Mm.”
All in all, Team Heaven successfully agreed on their training schedule in a pleasant and cooperative discussion.
Everyone was already used to Shen Xiu’s reserved and quiet demeanor—it was just part of his “cool-headed pro” persona, so his brief responses didn’t strike anyone as odd.
“All right, we’re done for the day. Let’s go eat!”
“Let’s go, let’s go—I’m starving!”
“I really want to eat clay pot chicken, but the cafeteria’s never served it. I wonder if they ever will.”
“Lu Qian, are you going to make me laugh to death? You’re not even hinting anymore—you’re just flat-out telling the production team! In that case, let me say this clearly too: I want coconut chicken!”
Members of Team Heaven grouped up, some with arms slung over each other’s shoulders, chatting and laughing as they made their way out of the practice room.
Shen Xiu lowered his head and pretended to be busy tidying the table, when in reality, he was straining to hear the sound of their footsteps leaving.
At noon, no one had talked much because of his presence—and remembering that now still made Shen Xiu feel awkward.
Clearly, judging from the current light-hearted and lively atmosphere, none of them were the quiet type. So, for their comfort—and his own—Shen Xiu had decided not to join them for dinner tonight.
But after walking a few steps, the group noticed the familiar cold aura was missing behind them.
Song Chengwang turned around and saw Shen Xiu still bent over his notebook, and just assumed he couldn’t stand the mess. He called out, “Shen Xiu, clean it up tomorrow. Come eat first.”
Shang Yu even turned around, walked back, and helped gather the scattered notebooks on the table, stacking them neatly with the rest. “All done. Let’s go.”
Shen Xiu: “…Okay.”
Not good at turning people down, Shen Xiu stiffly walked side-by-side with Shang Yu toward Song Chengwang, who was waiting by the door.
Inside, Shen Xiu was thinking: ‘I’m really sorry, everyone. Dinner’s going to be awkward again because of me.’
…
The hallway was spacious, and with the door closed, the three of them walking side by side didn’t feel crowded at all. Yet Shen Xiu, flanked by two people, felt so anxious about the silence that he was practically suffocating, not knowing what topic to bring up.
Trying to find something to talk about—way too hard!
Because Song Chengwang had waited for Shang Yu and Shen Xiu to finish packing up, he hadn’t left with the other Heaven group members. By the time the three of them exited the practice room, the rest of the team had already taken the elevator downstairs.
Song Chengwang and Shang Yu, while not exactly chatterboxes, were still more talkative than most. But neither of them said anything now—not because they were being cold, but because they were just used to Shen Xiu’s quiet nature. They didn’t feel the need to fill the silence, walking leisurely toward the elevator.
To them, walking in silence wasn’t awkward at all.
Only Shen Xiu, who wasn’t good at social interactions, was panicking inside. He thought his presence had once again made others uncomfortable and killed the conversation.
Meanwhile, in the livestream room, viewers were baffled.
[Over in Team Collapse, Xiang Yueting and Xia Wenhao are about to throw hands. Yet Heaven took forever assigning parts and no one fought?]
[I really thought a group full of aces would mean endless drama. But now they’re walking together all peacefully, and I’ve realized—I was completely wrong.]
[Damn, I’m convinced the reason Heaven didn’t argue lies in that long, mysterious, totally baffling stretch of silence this afternoon. But whenever I try to review what happened, all I can picture are those little cartoon flowers on their lips. It’s so goofy I can’t think straight!]
[Ladies, go check out the livestream at the camp gate! The host is catching Heaven members for interviews! That stream doesn’t blur the audio—or their mouths. Maybe we’ll get some juicy behind-the-scenes secrets!]
[Wuwuwu I don’t want to miss the top-three-ranking aces walking side by side, but I also don’t want to miss the other trainees’ interviews. I’m crying, frantically switching between livestreams—I look so desperate!]
—
At the entrance of the training camp, Yu Xiangwan had already finished interviewing the trainees from the other groups. She now stood at the main gate, microphone in hand, waiting to intercept the Heaven group trainees.
Yu Xiangwan was the designated interview host for the show Youth Unstoppable. By the time of the third performance round, there wasn’t a single trainee who hadn’t been interviewed by her.
The moment the Heaven group members saw her, they immediately knew: interview time.
As trainees, they were more than willing to be interviewed—after all, more screen time in both the live broadcast and the edited episodes was always a good thing.
But this time, wanting to preserve an air of mystery before their third performance, the members of Heaven stopped a short distance away from Yu Xiangwan. They turned to each other, quietly reminding one another:
“We don’t say a word about Heaven.”
“Got it!”
“Understood~”
“Mouths sealed tight.”
[Nooo! We were counting on you guys for spoilers and now you’re making a pact to stay silent?!]
[It hurts, it really does.]
[But what if—just what if—someone slips up? Don’t give up hope, girls.]
After making sure everyone was on the same page, the group finally walked toward Yu Xiangwan.
From a distance, Yu Xiangwan had already spotted the Heaven group. She watched through the glass as they huddled together, casting wary glances her way. And now, as they walked over with tense expressions like they were bracing for battle, she couldn’t help but laugh.
She wasn’t here to dig for secrets, seriously!
“Hi, Sister Yu!”
“You look beautiful today, sister!”
As they approached, each of them greeted Yu Xiangwan sweetly with flattery and charm.
“You all relax too—don’t be nervous. I’m really not here to ask about the third performance. This is just a routine interview,” Yu Xiangwan said.
She had already explained this a few times, and by now, she was quite fluent at it.
“Really?”
Yu Xiangwan smiled slightly. “Of course it’s true.”
“Phew… that’s a relief. Scared me to death,” Lu Qian said, patting his chest. “I was so worried I’d let something slip, and then Brother Xiu, Brother Shang, and Brother Wang would find out. Just thinking about Brother Xiu’s icy stare, Brother Shang’s smiling gaze, and Brother Wang’s sarcastic remarks makes me panic.”
Lu Qian’s words were met with unanimous agreement.
“Exactly!”
“Totally feel you.”
“We call that the deadly triple combo.”
[I hereby declare this a perfectly accurate summary!]
[LOL should we tell them something? The three of them are currently ‘on their way to kill’.]
[Hehehe I’m terrible, but I really want to play this clip for those three guys, hahahaha]
[Given the show’s tendency for chaotic editing, you know this part is getting played for Boss Xiu and the others. Clearly, the group members don’t yet realize how devious the production team is.]
“Haha…” Yu Xiangwan chuckled, amused by how serious the trainees looked. She then smoothly shifted topics: “So, anything particularly memorable happen in the Heaven group practice room?”
Afraid they’d misunderstand, she quickly clarified: “Just asking for any memorable moments—it doesn’t have to involve your third performance at all.”
The moment she said that, everyone immediately thought of Shen Xiu’s suggestions—especially the detail about how he reminded them to take off their shoes when picking formation spots.
Zhuang Yi couldn’t help letting out a chuckle.
Yu Xiangwan asked, puzzled, “What are you laughing at?”
Zhuang Yi’s gaze toward the camera carried a faint gleam. Since he couldn’t speak about specific events, he could only respond vaguely.
“I laugh at myself, because I’ve realized that no matter what Shen Xiu does now, I’m always left surprised and impressed. And yet, I never find it unreasonable.”
It was like a dam had broken—everyone began to talk. Beside him, Lu Fei also chimed in, “Whatever it is, as long as it’s something Shen Xiu suggests, my brain automatically comes up with the phrase, ‘Oh, Shen Xiu suggested or did it? Then it’s fine.’ That feeling alone, I think, is unforgettable.”
“I totally relate!”
“Honestly, I feel so lucky this time—getting picked by the luck god and ending up in a team with the top players. I’ll never forget this stroke of good fortune.”
“No one argued, and we handled everything in the calmest, most rational way—”
Before Ke Zi’an could finish his sentence, Lu Qian quickly covered his mouth. Looking at the camera, Lu Qian grinned, “Hahaha, he didn’t say anything!”
[LOL, leave it to my An-baby to stir things up.]
[There it is—the biggest leak of secrets from the ‘Heaven’ team~]
[Qian-baby, although big sis already likes you, if you let go of An-zai’s mouth, she’ll like you even more~ (innocent blink)]
Realizing just how close he came to revealing something, Ke Zi’an looked at Lu Qian gratefully, blinking in appreciation.
Ugh, that reckless mouth of his. Next time, if Xia Wenhao isn’t around, he’d better just shut up and play dumb!
“Ah, I see.” Yu Xiangwan sighed dramatically, pretending to be disappointed.
Just then, the elevator chimed and slowly opened.
Yu Xiangwan’s gaze fell on the three people who stepped out. She smiled at them.
Sensing Yu Xiangwan’s gaze directed behind them, everyone turned curiously. When they saw Shang Yu, Shen Xiu, and Song Chengwang, they silently thanked their lucky stars that they hadn’t said anything reckless.
Especially Ke Zi’an, who had almost let something slip—he shrank back timidly behind the others.
Shen Xiu was caught off guard as his gaze met Yu Xiangwan’s and the rest of the team’s. In Shen Xiu’s mind, Yu Xiangwan = interview where he must speak, and his teammates = people he feels awkward being around.
Suddenly, Shen Xiu felt the pressure spiking—+1, +1, +1.
Shen Xiu: “……”
Would it still be possible to turn around and dash back into the elevator?
Apparently not, because he’d already heard the elevator doors close behind him.
Even if they hadn’t, Shen Xiu knew he had to restrain himself. He couldn’t act weird in front of everyone by running back into the elevator.
Besides, Shang Yu and Song Chengwang had already started walking toward the group.
To blend in, Shen Xiu’s instincts made him fall into step with them, forcing himself to walk forward.
“Hi, Sister Yu.”
“Hello, Sister Yu.”
Shen Xiu quickly followed behind Song Chengwang and Shang Yu, calling out too: “Hello, Sister Yu.”
As their senior, Yu Xiangwan loved it when the younger boys greeted her politely—especially Shen Xiu, whose cold, aloof face didn’t match the obedient way he called her “Sister.” That kind of contrast? You’d have to hear it yourself to know how ridiculously cute it was.
[Ughhh I want to experience the joy of being called ‘Sister’ too 😭]
[Sister… even though the show never said exactly how old the trainees are, they did mention the youngest is 16 and the oldest is 20, so… rounding things up, they’re totally calling me sister. No problem there!!!]
[LMAO girl you really understand the art of rounding.]
Yu Xiangwan said, “Well, I’m just about to get off work. See you all next time~”
Song Chengwang looked puzzled. “Aren’t you going to interview us?”
Shen Xiu shot Song Chengwang a secret look of envy. When will I ever have that kind of social courage?!
Yu Xiangwan gave a meaningful glance at the few members of the Heaven group who had arrived earlier and smiled. “I’ve already asked everything I needed to.”
The production team had sent her to do interviews and had told her which people to focus on. The list she received specifically excluded the top-ranked members of each group.
Yu Xiangwan guessed that the show was doing this so that in post-production, they could edit in trainee reactions and opinions about the higher-ranked members.
“Alright then,” Song Chengwang said, visibly disappointed. “Next time, I’ll make sure to get here earlier so I can be interviewed too.”
Yu Xiangwan didn’t mention the production team’s arrangements. She just smiled and nodded. “Then I’ll look forward to our next meeting.”
Once Yu Xiangwan had left, the Heaven group finally headed off to the cafeteria.
The dining scene wasn’t too different from what Shen Xiu had imagined. With his eyes lowered awkwardly, he chewed his food in silence while secretly making a vow to himself—next time, for everyone’s sake and especially for his own, he was definitely going to slip away!
—
9:00 PM.
Song Chengwang, Shang Yu, Shen Xiu, and Zhuang Yi returned to the dorm. The moment they walked in, Xiang Yueting sprang up from his chair and rushed toward them.
It was like Xiang Yueting had been holding everything in for ages—he burst into questions, one after another, without pause.
“Come on, spill it—how’d you guys split the parts?”
“Why are you back so late? Don’t tell me you got into an argument too?”
“Who’s center?”
“Old Song, Old Shang, or my Brother Xiu?”
“What, did you all lose your voices or something? Why’s no one saying anything? You trying to kill me with suspense?!”
