Chapter 88.2: Live Interview (2)
Shen Xiu still remembered that Xiang Yueting had created a group chat before. Everyone was so friendly, so they’d probably talk in there. He just hoped that, when he did speak, it wouldn’t be like in the dorm group—where his messages always led to awkward silences.
During the finals, Shen Xiu hadn’t invited anyone to attend, which had led people to speculate that his relationship with his family wasn’t very good.
But now, hearing him say he was going to visit his mom and dad, everyone was a little curious. Still, afraid of prying into something Shen Xiu might prefer to keep private, no one asked.
[The situation is probably more complicated than we thought.]
[Could it be that his parents didn’t approve of him entering the entertainment industry, but Xiu-baby insisted, so he cut ties with his family, and now he’s going back to ask for forgiveness?]
[That’s possible. That’s how dramas usually play it.]
After Shen Xiu spoke, Song Chengwang followed up: “As for me, I’ll probably do the same as Shen Xiu—stay home and keep my mommy company. And of course, we’ll stay in touch within the group.”
[Who would’ve thought a 6’1″ tall guy would call his mother ‘mommy’ so sweetly—instant contrast cuteness (dog emoji)]
[Adorable!]
Shang Yu: “I’ll go home and rest for a bit. And yes, we’ll keep in touch.”
Xiang Yueting: “Me? I want to travel for a few days and relax. I’ll stay in touch.”
Ning Sinian pulled a bitter face: “To avoid wasting the money I spent on extra classes, I need to make up for everything I’ve missed before the term ends. Of course, I won’t lose contact with everyone.”
Xia Wenhao: “Hmm… I’ll probably hang out at An’an’s place.”
Other than Ke Zi’an’s home, he couldn’t think of anywhere else to spend his time. “I’ll also keep in touch with everyone.”
Mu Zhenchu looked enviously at everyone else being able to make free plans—unlike him, who was bound by his company.
“I’ll do whatever the company arranges. I’ll keep in touch.”
Zhuang Yi: “I’ll also follow company arrangements. And yes, I’ll keep in touch.”
Jiang Yanxi smiled sweetly at the camera and said, “As for me… I’ll probably ask the company for a few days off, play some games, watch some movies, and yes, I’ll keep in touch.”
[Phew… Even if we don’t know if it’s true, just hearing everyone say they’ll stay in touch puts my mind at ease.]
[Hope they mean it. It’s so rare to have a fully dedicated boy group like this—so talented. I really don’t want them to be just a summer-limited group.]
[No matter what happens, as a fan of this group, I’m satisfied just hearing those words!]
After that, the host continued the interview for another half an hour. The nine trainees wrapped up their final live broadcast on Youth Unstoppable.
Even though the screen had gone dark, fans in the livestream room didn’t leave. The comment section was still lively.
[Can’t see them anymore… my heart aches!]
[Just one hour without seeing Xiu-baby and I already miss him!]
[Who knows when we’ll see them next… it’s torture.]
[Praying the group album comes soon, praying for a reunion, praying for a group reality show, praying for so much—I really don’t want them to part ways, wuwuwu.]
Once the livestream ended, Yu Xiangwan stood up.
Before leaving, she conveyed the production team’s message:
“The production team asks that everyone pack up and leave the dorm within five minutes.”
After Yu Xiangwan left the dorm, staff members came in one after another to return the nine members’ phones to them.
Once the phones had been handed out and the staff exited, the nine of them looked at each other, seemingly with a lot to say—but no one actually spoke. They just exchanged silent glances.
The silence dragged on. Shen Xiu started to feel like he had failed as a group leader—unable to maintain the team’s mood in this moment.
As group leader, Shen Xiu felt an overwhelming pressure, but he had no idea what to say at a time like this. If he tried to say goodbye… what if someone got too emotional, and he ended up tearing up?
Just imagining that scene made Shen Xiu feel too embarrassed to face anyone.
Help—what could he say to naturally and subtly break this awkward atmosphere?
While struggling with the thought, Shen Xiu’s gaze landed on the clock on the wall, and his heart lit up.
He finally figured out what he could say to naturally and unobtrusively shatter this suffocating mood.
“There are three minutes left—just enough for us to walk out the training camp gates.”
The other eight: “!”
Hearing Shen Xiu’s words and remembering the production team’s request, the other eight had no time to linger in their sorrow. One by one, they picked up their suitcases.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
“Damn, I can’t fail the production team’s request at the very last moment. With my OCD, I’d wake up in the middle of the night gnashing my teeth in frustration!”
“Aren’t the ones being unreasonable the production team? Why give us only five minutes?”
“Exactly—this is outrageous!”
“Why else? Obviously, today’s production team has once again transformed into the heartless production team.”
…
From the dorm to the front gates of the training camp, the group turned their sadness into outrage, one-upping each other with complaints about the production team’s cruelty.
Shen Xiu, as always, walked at the back of the group. Hearing how everyone so naturally picked up the thread of his comment—helping him avoid any awkwardness—his heart warmed even more.
All the more reason for him not to walk in front. Quietly bringing up the rear, he lowered his head, his eyes turning red.
Shang Yu, walking ahead, listened to the familiar sound of Shen Xiu’s footsteps behind him, and a silent smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
He knew it—Shen Xiu’s emotional intelligence was high. At a time like this, so prone to melancholy, Shen Xiu had cleverly used the countdown to distract everyone from the sorrow of parting.
Shang Yu was convinced: with Shen Xiu as their group leader—whether now or in the future—Shen Xiu would always be the most dependable support for their group.
At the entrance of the training camp, the assistant director saw everyone coming out, greeted them with a smile, and got straight to the point: “The payments for the variety shows and advertisements you participated in have already been transferred to the bank accounts you filled in when signing up. You can check your bank messages once you turn on your phones.”
“Of course, if you have any questions about your pay, feel free to contact our production team at any time.”
“The show’s cars will be here shortly. Goodbye.”
After finishing, the assistant director waved at them and left crisply and efficiently.
Watching the assistant director’s retreating back, everyone: “……”
Once he was completely out of sight, Xiang Yueting couldn’t hold it in anymore and said: “I take back what I said earlier about the production team being heartless.”
Zhuang Yi: “+1!”
Mu Zhenchu: “I’ve never heard of a survival show where you could actually earn money directly from the production team…”
Ning Sinian whispered: “Isn’t the production team basically doing charity work at this point?”
Shang Yu replied: “Don’t worry, they’re not.”
To Shi Buwen, this kind of money was a drop in the bucket. Besides, the investment and sponsorship money the production team received was far more than they imagined.
Just as Shang Yu finished speaking, the group saw the production team’s cars driving toward them.
The staff helped load their luggage onto the vehicles. They only had time to say a quick goodbye before being hurried onto the cars by the production team.
Since Shen Xiu was standing at the back, he naturally got into the last vehicle.
The moment Shen Xiu got in and the door closed, he saw the car carrying his teammates pull away quickly in front of him.
As they exited the production team’s compound, each car drove off in a different direction.
Once again, Shen Xiu felt the same emptiness he’d felt when facing the deserted dorm alone. A wave of melancholy rose in his chest.
“Where to?”
Hearing the staff member’s voice from the front seat, Shen Xiu’s mind went blank.
Where to?
Where could he even go?
His days at the training camp felt like a dream — and now that the dream had abruptly ended, he was at a loss.
Afraid of keeping the staff waiting, Shen Xiu instinctively answered, “Qinghe University.”
“Alright.”
—
An hour later, they arrived at the destination, and the production team’s vehicle drove off.
Shen Xiu, wearing a mask and hat provided by the show crew, had his face tightly covered and stood at the entrance of Qinghe University.
It wasn’t the start of the school term yet, but Qinghe University, a centuries-old institution with a vast campus, had not only a large lake that connected to the outside, but also a natural forest. Its environment was even better than the city’s largest park. Since the campus wasn’t closed off, local residents often came for morning exercise and walks. So while there weren’t many people around, there were still some coming and going.
Worried about drawing attention by standing alone at the gate, Shen Xiu quickly and skillfully walked over to a large tree some distance away from the bus stop.
“Who’s that? So tall! You can spot him at a glance!”
“Even though I can’t see his face, just from his vibe, I bet he’s super handsome!”
“Whether his face is good-looking or not doesn’t matter — that height and figure are seriously attractive!”
…
Shen Xiu hadn’t been standing there for even a minute before he noticed people’s gazes on him. He froze in place, not daring to look around.
He hadn’t applied for summer housing, so going back to the dorm was out of the question. Visiting his parents with a suitcase clearly wasn’t convenient either.
But standing here getting stared at by passersby was clearly not a solution either.
Torn over what to do, Shen Xiu remembered what the assistant director had said. He took out his phone from his bag and powered it on.
As soon as the phone turned on, Shen Xiu saw a flood of incoming text messages.
Aside from those from the service provider, there were only two from the bank.
He tapped on them, and when he saw the bank balance, his pupils contracted in shock.
Did the production team accidentally add an extra zero???
System: [The production team’s actually pretty generous — they didn’t pay you all like D-list celebrities!]
[Don’t worry, they didn’t transfer the wrong amount. I checked the others’ accounts. Aside from the ad payments, everyone got the same pay for participating in the show.]
Although Shen Xiu knew the system hadn’t left, he still wasn’t used to its presence.
“Thanks,” he murmured.
After thanking it, he couldn’t help but ask, “You wouldn’t do anything bad, right?”
The way it casually mentioned being able to see others’ bank accounts suggested it could easily take someone else’s money if it wanted to.
System: [Of course not!]
The last time had been a harsh lesson — it never wanted to experience the feeling of paralysis again.
Shen Xiu was reassured.
He had been poor for so, so long. Now, suddenly having money — even after paying off debts — Shen Xiu looked at the numbers and felt… nothing.
Still, now that he had money, at least he finally had somewhere to store his luggage.
With that thought, Shen Xiu tried to make himself feel a bit more cheerful.
He found a hotel near the university, paid for a few days, dropped off his suitcase, grabbed his ID card, and took a bus straight to the station.
System asked confused: [Where are you going?]
Shen Xiu withdrew his gaze from the bustling crowd outside the bus window, lowered his eyes to his shoes. The eyes under the brim of his baseball cap were red as he softly replied, “Funeral home.”
