Chapter 71.2: Farewell
In Class A’s dormitory—
The bathroom window offered a view of the training camp’s front gate. Xiang Yueting leaned on the windowsill, looking out and loudly reporting live updates to his roommates.
“The cars from the production team to take people away are here!”
“There are five of them in total!”
“Someone just walked out of the gate… he’s dragging two suitcases…”
Xia Wenhao grew more agitated with every word, and stood up.
“Let’s go. We should all head down.”
Song Chengwang followed right behind.
“No objections from me.”
Ning Sinian looked a little worried.
“We made it through, but they’re getting eliminated. If we go to send them off… what if it makes them feel worse?”
Jiang Yanxi nodded in agreement.
“I want to go, but I’m afraid seeing us might make them even more upset.”
Shang Yu, who was naturally aloof, still stuck to his one line—he only trusted Shi Buwen in the entire training camp. As for whether to go or not, he didn’t really care either way.
If the others were going, then he’d go too.
So, Shang Yu said nothing.
Mu Zhenchu stood up.
“If they end up resenting us, so be it. I’m going.”
Hearing that most of the group had decided to go, Shen Xiu felt a wave of relief wash over him. If everyone went together, he wouldn’t have to worry about going alone—standing there not knowing what to say, and ending up looking like he was showing off in front of those being eliminated.
Shen Xiu gathered his courage and stood up.
“I’ll go too.”
Shang Yu glanced at Shen Xiu before finally speaking.
“I’ll go as well.”
Though Xiang Yueting was staring out the window, his ears had been carefully tuned in to everything happening behind him.
He knew very well that everyone had been hesitating about whether to go send the eliminated trainees off because they were afraid. Afraid that since they themselves had advanced, going to say goodbye might be misunderstood as showing off by those who were leaving.
Xiang Yueting, on the other hand, hadn’t thought that much about it. He simply wanted to go say goodbye—being misunderstood didn’t matter to him. But he also understood that he couldn’t force his way of thinking onto others, so he waited quietly.
Thankfully, he hadn’t misjudged them. His patience paid off!
Xiang Yueting dashed out of the bathroom, voice full of excitement:
“Since we’ve all decided to go, stop overthinking it! Even if they misunderstand, it’s not like we’ll lose a chunk of flesh. And honestly, I don’t think the people in our program are that petty—they won’t take it the wrong way. Let’s hurry before they’re all gone!”
He was afraid if they waited too long, everyone would’ve already left.
Jiang Yanxi and Ning Sinian exchanged a look.
Even though they often teased Xiang Yueting for being goofy and over-the-top, in this moment, his image had grown tall and admirable in their eyes.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s go.”
Shen Xiu still hadn’t figured out what to say when they actually got there.
To be honest, he had always been bad at goodbyes—it was probably something he’d inherited.
When he was in middle school, every Sunday afternoon, he would carry jars of pickled vegetables prepared by his parents, and be escorted by them to the entrance of their village. Then, under their gaze, he would walk away toward the outside world.
At those moments of parting, they’d look at each other, with so much left unsaid. But when it came time to speak, all they could manage was a few simple words like “Take care,” before exchanging smiles and waving goodbye.
Shen Xiu never knew what expressions his parents wore as he turned away. He didn’t dare look back—afraid they’d see his reddened eyes. All he could do was keep walking forward.
So now, Shen Xiu quietly followed behind the others, thinking about what he should say later, mentally rehearsing his lines.
…
A few minutes later, the group stepped out of the elevator.
As the group stepped out of the elevator, they easily spotted the trainees who had been eliminated, placing their luggage into the cars provided by the show.
When the nine of them appeared, everyone instinctively paused what they were doing and looked over.
And then they saw Shen Xiu in the group—tall, imposing, with a cold expression that was impossible to ignore.
A wave of tension swept through the eliminated trainees.
Is Shen Xiu here to see them off… or to tell them they weren’t strong enough and deserved to be eliminated?
Wuwuwu please let the others do the talking, Demon King Xiu is way too intimidating!
Everyone’s eyes turned—almost in unison—toward Xiang Yueting, the most approachable one in the group.
“Did you come to see us off?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course we came to see you off!”
“He’s right. Not just him—we all came to say goodbye.”
“Haha… I really didn’t expect this. It’s kind of sudden.”
“Honestly, when I saw you guys, I froze up a little. I thought last night’s dinner was already the send-off.”
With Xiang Yueting breaking the ice, and the eliminated trainees clearly showing no signs of resentment, the rest of the group relaxed a lot. One by one, they joined in the conversation.
Everyone except Shen Xiu.
Listening to the natural flow of conversation around him, Shen Xiu—standing silently at the back—grew even more nervous. He wanted to hide himself, but with his height and presence, there was no way to go unnoticed.
He could only keep repeating to himself in his head:
Everyone else is talking. I should say something too. I’m the only one staying silent—it’s weird!
But… someone please tell him—how was he supposed to jump into the conversation naturally and casually?
Just as Shen Xiu was still trying to figure out how to blend into the chatter and not seem like a weirdo, Lu Qian turned and looked straight at him, eyes sharp and clear.
A cheerful voice rang out: “Shen Xiu, thank you for coming to see me off—ah no, I mean us!”
“Even though I didn’t get to learn as much from you as I wanted before leaving, and even though we were only roommates for a short time, I’ll always remember you. After the show, I’ll keep learning from you—as a fan watching from the sidelines!”
W-Watching him?!
Shen Xiu instantly felt the pressure. The parting speech he had prepared in his head suddenly felt awkward and strange in this situation.
Meeting Lu Qian’s bright, sparkling eyes, Shen Xiu nervously replied, “Thank you.”
Then, realizing he didn’t want Lu Qian to learn his own shy and quiet personality, he quickly added: “You don’t have to learn from me. You’re already great.”
Was that a compliment from Shen Xiu?! Lu Qian’s eyes sparkled even more, and he responded extra loudly, “Thank you!”
The others turned to look at Shen Xiu. Feeling all their gazes on him, Shen Xiu wondered—do they all want to be praised too?
He quickly said, “You’re all great.”
Then, realizing that sounded too plain, he added: “You’re all amazing. Really impressive.”
The eliminated trainees: “!”
The Demon King Xiu didn’t come to criticize them—he came to praise them?
This was recognition from the King of Grinding Himself to Death With Hard Work!
Sure enough, in Shen Xiu’s eyes—even if they weren’t the most talented or capable—as long as they worked hard and pushed themselves, he wouldn’t treat them like he did Lin Jiashi. Instead, he genuinely thought they were great.
Everyone took his words to heart, their faces lighting up with unstoppable smiles, and the previously somber atmosphere began to feel lighter and more cheerful.
Having finally finished speaking, Shen Xiu noticed everyone was smiling, and his anxious heart finally settled.
As expected—Mom was right. No one dislikes being praised!
Thanks to Lu Qian! He finally got a chance to speak—what a good person!
After the atmosphere lightened, everyone became much more relaxed.
“Alright, alright, let’s move the luggage.”
“Hey, Old Zhao, which car are you moving this to?”
“This one!”
Shen Xiu silently picked up the luggage beside him and, following the instructions, moved it into the car.
While everyone was moving their luggage, Ke Zi’an instinctively looked at Xia Wenhao, the person he was most familiar with. Xia Wenhao also turned to look at Ke Zi’an, and they both almost simultaneously walked toward each other.
As they got closer, Ke Zi’an quietly asked, “When you helped me pack, didn’t you say you weren’t going to see me off?”
Xia Wenhao picked up the luggage in Ke Zi’an’s hands and placed it on the car. In a voice low enough for only the two of them to hear, he replied, “At first, I wasn’t going to come because I was afraid people might misunderstand. But later, what Xiang Yueting said made sense—people participating in this show aren’t that petty, so I came.”
After finishing, Xia Wenhao added without hesitation, “Remember to vote for me when you get back. Don’t think I don’t know you want to secretly vote for Shen Xiu!”
Ke Zi’an gave an awkward smile: “Life is hard, don’t ruin the mood…”
With the help of the nine of them, everyone quickly placed their luggage, and the time to part finally arrived.
Shen Xiu, recalling his past experiences and fearing that he might cry, quietly stepped to the back of the group.
The words that needed to be said had already been spoken the night before, and everyone exchanged silent glances.
After a few seconds of silence, someone said, “Well, uh, see you.”
Those words seemed to flip a switch, and the two groups of people, facing each other, raised their hands to wave.
“Goodbye!”
“Goodbye, friends~”
“We’ll keep watching the show.”
“Make sure to do well!”
“Don’t worry.”
“No problem.”
“Goodbye…”
A few minutes later, the program’s car, carrying the eliminated trainees, completely disappeared from the sight of the nine.
The nine of them stood silently, staring at the empty space in front of them. For a moment, no one spoke.
After a while, Xiang Yueting couldn’t hold back and said, “It feels so empty inside… a little sad…”
Mu Zhenchu quietly added, “Not just in our hearts… now the entire training camp feels empty.”
Song Chengwang sighed, “Who would have thought, not long ago, this building was full of people. Now, just a short time later, besides the staff, it’s only us left. The people are gone, the building’s empty, and my heart feels empty too.”
Jiang Yanxi raised his hand and rubbed his eyes, “Please, you two, stop! If you keep going, I’ll end up crying!”
The assistant director walked out of the building with a bag in hand and called out, “Oh, you’re all here.”
Shang Yu, who had initially come just to be part of the group, now found himself feeling even more frustrated. He came because everyone else came, but seeing that everyone had left and hearing his companions’ melancholic words, he felt more uneasy.
Upon hearing the director’s words, Shang Yu couldn’t hold back any longer and bluntly commented, “Director Xu, you must have only come out after watching the footage or the livestream to see we were still here, right?”
The assistant director awkwardly cleared his throat, “…Ahem, don’t you understand, don’t ruin the mood?”
Shang Yu smiled, “Nope, I don’t get it.”
Xiang Yueting quietly whispered to Song Chengwang, “He’s on a warpath again, this time with the assistant director.”
Assistant director: “…”
Didn’t they realize that even assistant directors have their pride!
The assistant director huffed and handed over the black paper bag, “I’m not in the best mood right now, so you all distribute the phones yourselves!”
Xia Wenhao was confused, “Why are you suddenly giving us back our phones?”
