Chapter 68: Third Performance (6)
The trainees, who had been enveloped in a sad atmosphere at the thought of their upcoming parting, were suddenly jolted out of their melancholy by Shen Xiu’s words, each of them filled with question marks.
Chatter broke out quickly around the table.
“???”
“Shen Xiu, are you… joking?”
“I get it—you must be telling a dry joke to cheer us up.”
“Yeah, that must be it.”
See? Just like that, they were too distracted to stay sad. But honestly, Shen Xiu’s dry humor was just as cold as his personality.
Hearing everyone’s enthusiastic responses, Shen Xiu only felt more guilty.
Look at them—obviously, they were feeling awkward because of him, but the moment he spoke, they all made an effort to respond warmly, just so he wouldn’t feel embarrassed.
Such kind-hearted friends… Shen Xiu felt even more determined not to make them uncomfortable because of him.
With a sincere look in his eyes, he finally said what he never had the courage to tell his roommates before—words now directed at the trainees who had shown him open kindness.
“I’m really sorry. I’m not good at talking, and I get shy easily. I hope you don’t mind.”
“If any of you ever feel uncomfortable around me, just let me know and I’ll leave—it’s okay.”
Everyone: “……”
What kind of world-class cold joke was that!?
Alright, it’s confirmed—Shen Xiu must be trying to make them laugh on purpose.
Still, no one found his words strange.
Though none of them had spent much time with Shen Xiu personally, they’d all seen the behind-the-scenes footage of his team’s training sessions. They knew what he was really like.
Although Shen Xiu appeared cold and indifferent, like someone who didn’t care about anything, he was actually kind and thoughtful deep down, always noticing the small details before anyone else did.
Like getting height-increasing shoes for Zhao Mingwei.
Like labeling everyone’s name on their audio recordings.
Like drawing little stick figures to break down choreography at the very beginning to help everyone practice more easily.
Clearly, Shen Xiu wasn’t just more diligent and more capable than the rest of them—he was also more attentive. Was it strange that he picked up on everyone’s sadness over tomorrow’s ranking announcement?
Not strange at all!
Afraid that they’d continue to dwell on their feelings and end up not enjoying what might be their last meal together, Shen Xiu, cold on the surface but gentle and considerate at heart, deliberately cracked a cold joke—making himself the punchline just to cheer them up. Was that strange?
Even less so!
Besides, what kind of truly shy person would say, deadpan and straight-faced, “I’m shy”?
If that’s not the setup to a cold joke, what is?
In just those few seconds, everyone silently came to the same conclusion: They finally understood Shen Xiu.
Shen Xiu was willing to make himself the butt of a joke just to lift their spirits. Touched by this, none of them wanted to let him down—so they all laughed and played along with the cold joke enthusiastically.
“Hahaha, really? I never would’ve guessed!”
“Ah, I finally get it now!”
“Didn’t expect you to be shy, Shen Xiu—what a surprise!”
“Leave? No way, absolutely not. If anything, we’re all shy too.”
“Yeah, yeah, we just act cheerful and energetic to keep things going, but really, I’m totally an introvert.”
“What a coincidence—I’m an introvert too!”
“Sigh, to tell you the truth, I’m socially anxious. The kind who hides under the blanket at home. If it weren’t for survival, I’d never force myself to interact with people.”
Because everyone had unanimously decided that Shen Xiu was joking, they all played along with the banter, and thanks to this shared “cold joke” performance, the atmosphere at the gathering eased up significantly.
Shen Xiu: “…”
Although things were more relaxed now and everyone had started talking again… he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Still, since Shen Xiu’s joke had successfully pulled everyone out of their gloomy “emo” mood—and considering it might be the last get-together for many of them—everyone agreed that staying downcast the whole night just wouldn’t do.
So someone suggested, “How about we have a drink?”
“I second that! The last time we drank was before the first ranking announcement. We can’t let the third one be any less fun than the first, right?”
Since they were trainees under the program’s management and would need the show to foot the bill, after saying this, everyone simultaneously turned their eyes toward the staff standing near the door.
“Ying ying ying, can we, brother?”
“Ying ying!”
“Ying!”
Seeing everyone go “ying ying ying,” especially Xiang Yueting, who “ying”ed multiple times, Shen Xiu felt like he’d be out of place if he didn’t join in.
So, Shen Xiu also stared at the staff and said, flatly, “Ying.”
The moment that frosty, emotionless “ying” left his mouth, everyone turned to stare at him.
The staff broke out in goosebumps and quickly relented, “Alright, alright! You can drink. We’ll get you drinks.”
“But same rules as last time,” the staff added. “Anyone under eighteen drinks juice.”
Among the trainees present, quite a few were sixteen or seventeen.
“No problem!”
“Hehe, I’m 20, I can drink!”
“Wuwuwu, why am I only sixteen!”
“I’m exactly eighteen—made the cut just right~”
Hearing all the chatter, Xiang Yueting clicked his tongue. “Looks like I’m the only one who’s twenty-three.”
Back then, if a nineteen-year-old kid hadn’t been pulled out of the show by his parents, and if Xiang Yueting hadn’t overheard the staff saying they were short one person—and insisted on filling the gap—he wouldn’t have gotten the chance to be on stage at all.
Hearing this, one of the staff members froze for a second, then quickly made a note to report it to the director later. It looked like there had been an error in the show’s age records.
Upon hearing Xiang Yueting’s age, Song Chengwang gave him a surprised look. “Seriously?”
Xia Wenhao also looked at him with disbelief.
Xiang Yueting lifted his chin proudly. “Of course! You think I’d lie to you guys?”
Song Chengwang clicked his tongue. “You know, no offense, but I honestly thought you were maybe… two and a half years old. Max.”
Xiang Yueting was baffled. “Why two and a half?”
Shang Yu, trying to keep the peace, quickly jumped in, “Doesn’t matter.”
If Xiang Yueting found out that Song Chengwang couldn’t keep his mouth shut and had basically called him a fool in a roundabout way, knowing Xiang Yueting’s temperament, the two of them would probably start chasing each other around the private room.
Just then, the drinks arrived, and Shang Yu smoothly changed the topic.
“The wine and juice are here. Help yourselves—just spin the table and pour whatever you want.”
As the dishes were brought into the private room along with the wine and juice, the table quickly filled with delicious food. Xiang Yueting’s attention was immediately drawn to the spread, and he stopped dwelling on Song Chengwang’s earlier comment.
When the red wine spun around to stop in front of him, Shen Xiu was reminded of the last dinner the show had hosted—when Song Chengwang had come over to clink glasses with him, and he’d taken a sip of red wine during the toast.
His tongue still remembered the bitterness.
Back then, too embarrassed to spit it out, he had forced himself to swallow it.
So this time, determined to avoid drinking something he disliked, Shen Xiu decisively picked the white bottle next to the red wine instead.
Xia Wenhao had just used it, and the cap wasn’t fully tightened, so a strong and fragrant aroma wafted out from the bottle.
As Shen Xiu grabbed the bottle to pour himself a drink, he thought, ‘Something that smells this nice can’t possibly be as bitter as red wine, right?’
To avoid having to pour more later, Shen Xiu went ahead and filled his glass generously.
After placing the bottle back down, he looked up and realized everyone at the table was staring at him.
Shen Xiu: “?”
Now what?
“Is something wrong?” he asked, unable to ignore all the stares.
Faced with Shen Xiu’s calm expression and casual tone, everyone figured they’d probably overthought it.
He must be a heavyweight drinker, they reasoned. He’s clearly confident—probably doesn’t get drunk at all. Maybe what we think is strong liquor is just like plain water to him.
After that mental adjustment, they all shook their heads.
“Nope, nothing.”
“Alright, everyone else hurry up—once we’re all set, let’s toast!”
“Coming, coming! What’s the rush!”
The staff member looked at the way the trainees were acting and got a little nervous. They quickly reminded them, “The main focus is to eat, okay? Take it easy—don’t forget the third ranking announcement is tomorrow morning at nine.”
Afraid the trainees wouldn’t take it seriously, the staff member added, “Teacher Xue Yi will personally announce the ranking list.”
“If he smells alcohol on anyone…”
Before the staff member could finish, a chorus of groans erupted from the private room.
“Ughhh, we heard you!”
“Brother, please, we’re begging you—don’t bring up Teacher Xue at a time like this. I’m scared I’ll choke on my drink!”
Seeing that everyone was now a bit more cautious, the staff member chuckled and didn’t say anything more. Still, just in case someone got too carried away, they stayed in the room to keep an eye on things.
Finally, with all 36 trainees having either a glass of alcohol or juice in front of them, Xiang Yueting was the first to stand up and raise his glass. “To the production team!”
Before joining the show, most of them had watched other survival programs and were terrified of shady behind-the-scenes manipulation—getting cut out of edits entirely, or worse, being maliciously edited into villains to boost someone else.
But now, after all this time, not a single one of those fears had come true.
Even if they didn’t make it to the very end, the integrity of this production team had earned them fans and attention they hadn’t expected.
This toast—they made it wholeheartedly.
“To the production team!”
Shen Xiu echoed the toast with everyone else, and seeing everyone drink, he took a sip himself.
And with just that one sip, Shen Xiu nearly knocked himself out.
Shen Xiu: “!!!”
Can someone explain why a drink that smelled so rich and fragrant tasted so bitter?!
The red wine from before had been astringent, sure. But this—this was just bitter.
Before joining the show, Shen Xiu had never even tasted beer, and now he nearly spat out the drink. But not wanting to cause a scene or waste it, he forced himself to swallow it.
Shen Xiu remembered that Xia Wenhao had poured from the same bottle as he did, so he instinctively looked over at him.
Xia Wenhao swallowed his drink and sighed, “That’s delicious!”
Shen Xiu: “……”
Between him and Xia Wenhao, whose taste buds were malfunctioning?
Shen Xiu couldn’t figure it out. As everyone else started eating, he picked up his chopsticks and quietly focused on his food, hoping the dishes would help mask the lingering bitterness of the alcohol.
With the alcohol kicking in, and it being their final group meal, everyone gradually began letting loose.
Some raised their glasses across the table to toast others, while some drank with the people next to them.
Since the alcohol was too bitter for him, Shen Xiu chose not to drink again and focused on eating instead.
And because he was too shy to spin the lazy Susan himself, he just ate whatever dish was turned in front of him. Thankfully, all the food was delicious, and Shen Xiu was genuinely enjoying his meal.
While he was happily eating, he overheard Xia Wenhao and Song Chengwang talking beside him.
“32,000 yuan per bottle—this production team is really generous. Song Chengwang, do you think that’s true?”
Song Chengwang had been drinking red wine, but after hearing that, he poured a bit of the same liquor into a clean cup, took a sip, and nodded. “It’s true.”
Xia Wenhao sighed, “I came to this survival show and ended up drinking better than I ever do at home. Who’d believe that? If I had better tolerance, I’d finish the whole thing!”
Shen Xiu stared at the bottle in front of him, deep in thought.
This wine… is so expensive!
Because the liquor tasted bitter to Shen Xiu, he initially had no intention of drinking more. But after hearing what Song Chengwang and Xia Wenhao said, he silently picked up his glass and took another small sip.
It was both bitter and spicy—Shen Xiu seriously began to question life.
But Shen Xiu was the kind of person who never left a single grain of rice in his bowl. Not wanting to waste anything, he forced himself to keep drinking.
He didn’t know how long he had been drinking, but eventually, his mind turned to mush. He could barely make out what the people around him were saying. What Shen Xiu didn’t realize was—he was drunk.
Lowering his gaze, he stared at the liquor in his glass for several seconds. Only when his blurry eyes finally managed to focus did he confirm there was still some left, so he picked it up to continue drinking.
Shen Xiu’s quiet, solitary drinking—his expression subdued and sorrowful—made it look like he had just been pulled from a bath of cold, damp water. The rich aroma of alcohol clinging to him only added to the heavy, chilly aura he exuded.
Those sitting farther away whispered to each other:
“Shen Xiu looks so deep in thought… so melancholic.”
“He must be feeling emotional about tomorrow’s goodbyes.”
“Yeah, that’s just how he is. He seems aloof, but deep down, he’s really sentimental. Even when he’s upset, he never makes a fuss—he just quietly drinks his feelings away. That’s what real restraint looks like.”
“Sigh, he told cold jokes to cheer us up, but now, seeing him like this, we don’t even know how to comfort him.”
“Are you dumb? Someone as strong as Shen Xiu doesn’t need comforting. He’s just sipping away his sorrow, that’s all.”
Shang Yu reached over and placed a hand on Shen Xiu’s glass, speaking up: “That’s enough. If we want to meet again, it’s not like it’s impossible.”
Shen Xiu, mind foggy and unfocused, stared down at his drink. It took him several seconds to realize a hand was stopping him from lifting his glass.
He hadn’t really heard what Shang Yu said. In his muddled mind, he had only one thought: Waste is shameful!
And so, Shen Xiu instinctively spoke, his voice rough and hoarse from the alcohol: “Let go.”
