Trainee Ch.23.1

Chapter 23.1: Final Evaluation

Lai Yudong handed over the blank evaluation notice, staring intently at the stamp being pressed down as he silently comforted himself:

It’s okay, Class F is still pretty impressive.

Li Ke saw how visibly nervous this trainee—who had left such a strong first impression on him—was. Intentionally mischievous, he paused without lifting the stamp and teased, “Take a guess. Do you think you’re still in Class F?”

Lai Yudong’s eyelid twitched. “Maybe…?”

[Teacher Li is so mean hahaha]

[Yuzu’s about to faint, just tell him already]

Exactly!

He already stamped it—just tell him!

Li Ke chuckled, lifted his hand, and revealed the red stamp underneath. A bold “C” came into view.

—Miura Yuki, Class C.

Lai Yudong took the notice with disbelief. His mind felt like a bottle of soda that had been violently shaken and then uncapped—dizzy from the shock of the news.

He really got promoted?

A dream swaying in the firelight had come true. Only now did he feel a wave of exhaustion wash over him. For some reason, his eyes stung slightly.

Maybe it was because he hadn’t slept well for days.

[rwkk]

[Why does Yuki look so pitiful? Don’t tell me he didn’t get promoted?]

[Aww, poor Yuzu tried his best]

[I’m desperate! Show me Yuzu’s rating already!]

Lai Yudong: “……”

What a misread expression.

Pitiful? This is called sweet relief after hardship!

Everyone’s evaluations were quickly announced, and the broadcast team’s voice came through the speakers:

“Now commencing class relocation. Trainees with a final evaluation of Class F, please move to your designated practice room.”

The most nerve-wracking part had arrived.

The door to Class F was like a line drawn by fate, dividing the trainees into two worlds—one bright, one dark. No one wanted to fall into Class F, and the dread felt by the “original residents” was matched by the others outside.

Everyone was curious—who would be the first fallen star?

Moments later, the door that decided life or death creaked open. Countless gazes shot toward it in unison, only to be surprised by who stepped in: Yin Zizhen from Class B.

The black-haired boy had a delicate face that still carried a hint of youth. Expressionless, he held onto the doorframe and bowed slightly as he greeted them, “Sorry to intrude.”

Then, he picked a spot against the wall and sat down. One knee raised, the other leg folded beneath him, one arm draped casually over his knee—his every move screamed one thing: cool.

A polite little rebel.

[Class B actually dropped to F???]

[Yin Zizhen is a pure rapper, not the rap lead]

[Don’t laugh, my boy can’t dance]

Next came Song Yanxi from Class C. A fashion influencer with over a million followers, he, like Yin Zizhen from the same agency, was one of the naturally popular contestants.

He walked straight toward a corner without hesitation and stopped in front of a blond boy. “Can I sit here?”

As Song Yanxi approached, Lai Yudong gradually lifted his head, not expecting that the target would be the seat next to him. He froze for a second, staring upward in surprise, before slowly scooting half a space to the side.

“Go ahead.”

[Confirmed: Brother Xi is a sucker for good looks]

[Love this—handsome guys need more screen time together!]

[Shy Yuzu is going to faint from shock]

The reasons the bullet comments offered left Lai Yudong feeling skeptical. He preferred to believe that Song Yanxi just liked sitting in the corner.

The reason was simple—who chooses their subway seat based on looks?

Besides, his seatmate was about to get off and transfer anyway.

After the first round of class reshuffling, the broadcast sounded again:

“Trainees with a final evaluation of Class C, please proceed to your designated practice room.”

A total of ten trainees, including Lai Yudong, had been promoted to Class C. The first to receive a rating, Zeng Kai, was also placed in Class C. Unfortunately, Liu Qichu wasn’t among them.

The other two notable promotions were Pei Lan and Wang Yiwen, who advanced to Class B.

But the bullet comments were mostly focused on one person—Lai Yudong:

[Aaaah Yuzu made it to Class C! Mama is so proud!]

[Scared me to death, I thought Yuki had no chance…]

[Am I the only one who bet on Miura making it to B?]

[B is a stretch. With A class being limited, even some strong trainees had to go to B, which raised the bar for B too]

[Don’t expect too much. I’ll be thankful if Yuzu just makes it on stage]

Lai Yudong stood up and followed at the end of the group. He quickly glanced at the barrage of comments, and one striking title instantly caught his eye.

Though it wasn’t the first time someone online had called themselves his “mom”—in fact, many viewers affectionately called him “baby” too—he still couldn’t help but look at those comments a little longer each time.

When it wasn’t his real mom, but someone else being “Mom”…

It felt kind of strange?

—

Meanwhile, in Class C—

Not long after the class reshuffle announcement, a group of trainees in black uniforms entered first.

Zhou Rui craned his neck eagerly, and a familiar face at the back of the group caught his eye.  The next second, like a spring, he jumped in place and rushed forward with delight, throwing an arm around the other’s shoulder:

“You’re amazing, Yuki!”

Liang Zhisheng arrived a step later and ruffled the blond hair with the air of an older brother. “Congrats. All your hard work paid off.”

Surrounded by the two of them, Lai Yudong felt like a student walking out of a college entrance exam, being congratulated by classmates and parents alike. Their enthusiasm seemed even greater than his own.

He didn’t shy away from their friendly gestures, and a smile naturally spread across his face. “Thank you, guys.”

Class relocation was still underway, with the original Class B trainees following shortly behind.

Unexpected, yet not entirely surprising, Qu Xincheng was among those who had been downgraded.

He had solid skills, but spent too much time helping others, which drastically cut into his own practice time—ultimately a thankless sacrifice.

By comparison, Su Junzhe’s strategy of “selective effort” seemed very wise.

[Xiao Qu, why did you drop? /crying]

[Other company princes get carried by support, while ours from Tianhua comes to teach like a tutor. I’m seriously crying.]

[Why do people call Qu Xincheng ‘prince’?]

[Tianhua Entertainment sending trainees to Sky Video’s show—he’s basically royalty, isn’t he?]

Lai Yudong: Strange new knowledge acquired.

“Huh? Li Xu actually dropped?” Liang Zhisheng muttered. He quickly masked his surprise and waved the red-haired boy over with a friendly gesture.

Seeing Li Xu dragging his feet, visibly dejected, Liang Zhisheng stood up and gave him a warm hug, gently patting his back. “It’s okay…”

Before he could say much more, their roommate Xu An walked in.

And this one was a heavy blow—he was the only trainee to fall from Class A.

[Oh no, dropped from A to C]

[My poor baby Anmu, this hurts]

[Xu An really can’t dance. Honestly, not ending up in F is already lucky]

[Is he the one who dropped the most in Class A?]

In an instant, countless unfiltered gazes locked onto the black-haired boy like invisible spotlights. Liang Zhisheng had to release Li Xu for the moment and gently tugged the now spotlighted Xu An over to sit down.

Even the usually withdrawn Li Xu couldn’t help but glance sideways and hesitantly ask, “Are you… okay?”

“Huh? Me? I—I’m fine…” Xu An looked dazed, with not a trace of sadness on his face. “We’re all in Class C now?”

Now it was Li Xu’s turn to shut down again.

[Looks like Xu An is their roommate]

[Zhou Rui isn’t, but the other four are from Dorm 707]

[Don’t tell me they’re all in Class C now hahaha]

Lai Yudong glanced toward the brown-haired trainee whose evaluation was still a mystery—he was the only one left.

Liang Zhisheng answered, “Ah, I’m still in Class C.”

Alright—four in Class C.

[Guided by the Dorm God, lol]

[Others reunite at the top, but Dorm 707 reunites in Class C]

[707 = C0C]

[Stop it, C0C is killing me]

[Go back and flip your room number plate upside down hahahaha]

“What about Zhou Rui?” Lai Yudong hadn’t forgotten his only non-dorm dance partner.

Zhou Rui scratched his cheek awkwardly. “I…”

“—Trainees with a final evaluation of Class B, please proceed to your designated practice room.”

The second half of his sentence was drowned out by the loudspeaker, but there was no need for him to repeat it. He slowly stood up, letting his actions speak for themselves.

Lai Yudong’s eyes widened in delight. “You made it to Class B?”

“Yeah.”

Thinking back to their late-night conversation the night before, Lai Yudong’s smile grew even brighter. Just like how Zhou Rui had treated him, he gave the other boy a warm hug. “That’s great.”

[See? The only one not in Class C is also the only one not from Dorm 707]

[Moving out of 707 tonight, no questions asked]

[First time seeing Yuzu smile so radiantly]

[Even the coldest, most socially anxious person will melt into a warm little citrus like Yuzu!]

Lai Yudong: “……”

Can you not ruin the moment?

After the final group of A-class trainees moved, everyone was instructed to return to their dorms to change into new class uniforms and reconvene in the large classroom on the third floor in ten minutes.

Compared to the initial evaluations, the reshuffle brought major changes—none more eye-catching than the newly formed Class A. These trainees earned the privilege of standing in the center for the theme song recording, with the most screen time.

Only four from the original A class held onto their spot, while three others were overtaken by rising stars.

Lin Xiao, who lost in the initial stage battle, successfully made it to Class A as he had hoped.

Jiang Yangfan fulfilled his promise to reunite with Yu Yizhen in Class A—but unfortunately, Zhang Mingche from the web drama group didn’t make it.

A dark horse from Class C also seized a place in the top tier.

The final lineup for the new Class A:

Su Junzhe, Yu Yizhen, Mo Li, Qu Junwei, Jiang Yangfan, Lin Xiao, Bai Xuanhe.

The next step: voting for the center position in the theme song—the coveted initial C.

Unrelated to the center vote, four boys from Dorm 707 walked out together, all dressed in identical blue uniforms—visually united as one.

Li Xu glanced at the brown-haired trainee waiting by the door and asked in confusion, “Why are you coming with us? You don’t need to change uniforms.”

Liang Zhisheng joked, “A family has to stick together, right?”

“……”

Li Xu rolled his eyes speechlessly, unsure whether he was just too lazy to argue or if he actually agreed.

“We were only all present on the first day, I think,” Xu An said after a moment of thought. “The last time I saw Yuki was about four days ago.”

“You could’ve just said ‘the first day,’” Liang Zhisheng retorted. “I saw him three days ago. I thought we’d finally get to see him after the assessment ended, but turns out he still doesn’t come back at night.”

Faced with his roommate’s sudden complaint, Lai Yudong defended himself in a low voice, “We haven’t recorded the MV yet.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Liang Zhisheng said considerately. “But make sure to get some rest tonight. We’re filming on stage tomorrow, so you need to be in good shape.”

“Got it.”

“Also, remember to put on a face mask later—your makeup will go on better. Do you have one? If not, I’ll lend you one.”

“I have one.”

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