Trainee Ch.63

Chapter 63: The Second Ranking Announcement (2)

—Liang Zhisheng was eliminated.

Lai Yudong pressed his knuckle lightly against the corner of his eye. He had thought he was fully prepared this time, that holding back tears wouldn’t be difficult. But as the names and rankings appeared one by one, and hope finally dissolved into nothing, a sour ache inevitably welled up in his chest.

His vision blurred, but he could still recognize that the face on the big screen wasn’t Liang Zhisheng.

Tears slipped past his knuckle and down his hand, unstoppable now. He bit hard on his lower lip, forcing himself not to make a sobbing sound.

Liang Zhisheng had always taken care of everyone in dorm 707 like a big brother. He was the one who collected and neatly folded forgotten laundry, tidied the clutter on their desks, and often worried about whether Yudong—who had irregular hours and often disappeared without a trace—was eating properly.

The livestream chat often joked and called him “Mama Liang.” Saying “mom” might be an exaggeration, but calling him “older brother” was more than fitting.

[Even though I expected it, it still hurts so much]

[Crying, my COC has fallen apart]

[Dorm 707 hasn’t fallen apart, they’re just separated for now]

[Sorry, we tried our best… we really couldn’t save him… orz]

[Sigh, the “Silent Night” team didn’t get much attention, passerby votes just couldn’t rise]

[Thanks to everyone who voted for Sheng]

[Don’t cry, Yuzu!]

[That’s it… I was fine at first, but seeing Yuki cry, I can’t hold it back either]

Only the debut spots remained to be announced.

Lai Yudong forced back his tears. The battlefield had shifted from his friends to himself. Last time, he had unexpectedly ranked fifth—he didn’t know if he could hold onto that spot this time.

The seventh place was Zhao Yifeng.

His ranking had dropped by one place. Having poor public appeal was indeed a fatal weakness. Even if he managed to change the impression of some viewers, it was meaningless if it didn’t reach the majority.

If his fans couldn’t hold his spot, he would likely miss the chance to debut.

“At first, I only thought of it as “heading to a bigger stage”. I just wanted to sing—whether I stayed or left didn’t matter.” Zhao Yifeng put away his usual lazy demeanor and grew more serious. “But once you’ve stepped on stage, it’s hard to let go. I hope this won’t be the end for me and the Starseekers. Let’s keep moving forward together.”

With that, he walked up toward the debut seats and sat at the far edge.

“Sixth place.”

“This trainee has drawn attention for his looks. In every performance, he managed to surpass himself and achieve solid results.”

“He is introverted, friendly to others, and wherever he is, he maintains a good atmosphere.”

Although the words sounded a little narcissistic, Lai Yudong instinctively thought they were describing him.

But… hadn’t he personally denied being introverted during a livestream?

“Congratulations, Qu Xincheng.”

Qu Xincheng let out a long breath. The joy of returning to the debut seats nearly made his legs buckle under him. Stumbling around several rows of chairs, he finally reached the podium. It was obvious that he was so nervous he could hardly walk straight.

Watching the side profile of the black-haired boy, Lai Yudong suddenly realized something.

Their public personas looked somewhat similar on the surface.

Not just in looks, but in personality too.

The only difference was—one was truly introverted, the other only pretended to be.

From a group composition perspective, that wasn’t a good thing. No wonder Li Xu had said that if he wanted to debut, he had to rank higher than Qu Xincheng.

“Fifth place.”

Lai Yudong straightened up, ready to go on stage and give his speech at any moment.

Fu Hanyu gave a hint: “This trainee chose the dance group during the position evaluation, and his personal votes exceeded two hundred.”

[That’s like saying nothing at all]

[Among the top five, everyone except Xu An was in the dance group with over 200 votes]

[Is it Yuki?]

[I think it’s Jiang Yangfan]

[Jiang Yangfan was the overall number one in the dance group, he had bonus votes]

[That many votes aren’t even enough to squeeze into the debut circle]

“He left a deep impression on the Starseekers by showing a completely different side of himself.”

“Cute, soft, girly—those kinds of descriptions.”

[Okay, that rules out Mo Li]

[Mo Li was ranked first in the first announcement, how could he be fifth?]

Lai Yudong felt like he had once again entered the state of [whoever they describe, it sounds like me].

He’d seen people in the livestream chat tease him before about having contrast.

But girly? That wasn’t describing him, was it?

“Congratulations, Jiang Yangfan.”

On the screen appeared Jiang Yangfan’s calm, unruffled face. His situation was similar to Zhao Yifeng’s: once a pre-broadcast frontrunner, he had been steadily dropping in the rankings—though his fall was a little slower.

[? What happened to Yuki having so many “first love” fans, yet can’t beat the votes?]

[He’s just playing the weakling to mess with you guys]

[Or maybe—just maybe—compared to the very top he looks weak, but within the debut circle he can still hold his own]

Lai Yudong pressed his hand against his chest. His quickening heartbeat thumped wildly against his ribcage. With the rankings announced up to this point, the result was clear—

His rank had risen again.

“Fourth place.”

“This is another trainee from the dance group. In the second performance, he broke away from his usual style and showcased a wide range of charm.”

“Whether it’s his learning ability or his perspective on the stage, the Starseekers have discovered shining qualities in him that go beyond just his looks.”

It was a description so specific that it could only refer to him.

Lai Yudong adjusted his expression. The tear stains on his face had already been quietly wiped away earlier with the tissue he’d prepared in advance, making sure he appeared on the big screen in his best condition.

Image management—nobody had taught him, yet it was etched deep into his instincts as an idol.

“Congratulations, Miura Yuki.”

[Fourth place! Truly deserved!]

[Congrats to Yuzu for ranking fourth in the second announcement!]

[Keep it up, Dong-baby! Keep pushing for an even higher spot!]

[Every time I see that rising weekly curve, I want to cry… from 55th all the way up to 4th—our miracle Yuzu… T T]

[So inspiring, both Yuki and Yuzu are amazing]

Amid the applause that mixed genuine emotion with polite courtesy, the light-blond-haired boy whose name had just been called slowly stood up.

Compared to his dazed, almost out-of-body reaction in the first announcement, he now seemed especially composed. His upturned phoenix eyes carried a natural elegance and sharpness, while the faint smile at the corner of his lips was perfectly measured. His aura matched the image one expected from a top-ranking trainee.

He walked with upright posture through the half-empty waiting area, as though he were heading to a prestigious award ceremony.

It was hard to connect this figure with the unlucky kid who had shed tears multiple times before.

Fu Hanyu introduced the speech segment with a question: “Your ranking has risen again—what would you like to say to the Starseekers?”

“Compared to last time, when I was worried the entire time about whether I’d be eliminated, this time I feel much calmer.”

Lai Yudong’s voice was steady. His naturally cool tone, softened by his personality, carried a gentle warmth—like a bonfire burning in winter. The contrast only amplified his inner tenderness.

He was becoming more at ease with the speech sessions, as if no one cared about his Chinese fluency anymore.

“Thank you, Starseekers. It’s you who gave me the courage, the confidence to remain on this stage. A month ago, this was a dream I wouldn’t have dared to hope for. I think, right now, the most fitting words are a line from the theme song.”

‘The tiny me, chosen by you, dreams no longer shatter like fragile bubbles.’

“I hope I can live up to your love and shine for you.”

[Wuwuwu baby, you’re so good with words]

[[Courage] [Shine for you]]

[Every one of Yuzu’s speeches is worth putting on loop]

[Not gonna lie, when I run out of energy to keep voting, I replay Yuzu’s first announcement speech, over and over, just to hear that line about “special favor” and hype myself up]

[I’m not a Yousi but I’m jealous, my fave’s speeches sound like memorized templates/smoke]

[Oh no, Yuzu didn’t cry, but I’m crying]

“And also, Liang Zhisheng.”

Lai Yudong paused, looking toward the brown-haired youth in the waiting zone who was smiling warmly like a proud father. The smile on his own lips faltered a little:

“Even though you always insist I don’t need to thank you, still… really, really, thank you. Thank you for taking care of me. You’re an indispensable part of dorm 707.”

“I hope that when the show ends, we’ll still be good friends.”

To others, it sounded like he was simply voicing a hopeful wish for after the show—like when Liang Zhisheng and Liu Qichu had made plans to eat hotpot together after elimination.

But only Lai Yudong knew that what he truly wanted to express was a beautiful assumption:

If he could return to his original world, he wished they could still be good friends.

Handing back the microphone, Lai Yudong walked toward his fourth-place seat. The teammates from the “Bloody” group who had advanced rushed up one by one to give him hugs, taking turns comforting him and telling him not to be sad.

Quite a few other trainees, who hadn’t had much interaction with him, also tried to join in on the hugs. Whether it was genuine or with some ulterior motive, he didn’t know. But each time, he quickly extended his hand for a handshake instead, cutting off any chance of an embrace.

He really didn’t feel like hugging strangers when he was in a bad mood.

Passing by Li Xu’s seat, he caught him secretly wiping away tears with his back turned. Lai Yudong stood silently beside him like a ghost, watching, until Li Xu turned around and nearly jumped out of his skin.

Li Xu’s eyes widened: “You couldn’t say something!?”

“I was afraid of disturbing you.” Lai Yudong gently exposed the fact that he’d been caught crying in secret.

Li Xu: “…”

Li Xu: “Go sit down on your fourth-place sofa already.”

Mm, teasing his roommate seemed to lift the mood.

Lai Yudong walked up the steps. Because the seats were arranged in a pyramid, his place shifted from the middle of the third row to the edge, opposite the aisle on the other side.

Waiting for him there were Zhao Yifeng and Qu Xincheng, who had long been ready, blocking the entrance of the third row to surround him with congratulations. In contrast, Jiang Yangfan—who had almost zero interaction with him—simply stood by his fifth-place seat, smiling and giving him a nod.

It was starting to feel more and more like workplace socializing.

Next, they announced third place.

Xu An, who had been competing with Mo Li for the top two spots, had dropped down. Even though his performance in the second round was outstanding, most of the “power-worshipper” fans had already been gathered. On the stage alone, dazzling vocal skills weren’t enough—rankings in survival shows were never determined by talent alone.

Lai Yudong felt that Xu An was a little like his early self—timid, too cautious to let go in front of the camera. But while Lai Yudong had become more free-spirited and found his own path, Xu An still treated the survival show as if it were a regular music program.

As the livestream chat put it—he was way too laid-back.

If Xu An hadn’t had a solid fan base, he might’ve been eliminated long ago.

For the first time, the fight for first place came down to Mo Li and Su Junzhe.

The two of them stood side by side on stage, their faces shown on the big screen. After a long string of descriptions vague enough to fit either one, Fu Hanyu finally announced the first place of the second ranking announcement.

“Congratulations, Su Junzhe.”

[Congrats to Su Su for taking first place!]

[First place changed??]

[No way, it’s only the second announcement—already running out of steam in Mo Li’s fandom?]

[Could also be fan-baiting, pushing them to vote harder]

[Good, I don’t want to see a recycled contestant sitting at the top]

[Everyone gets dragged into the drama. If he’s this popular and still not first, then maybe he’s really done for]

[Personally I think it’s because his back injury during the second performance really tugged at fans’ hearts]

Lai Yudong didn’t have much of an opinion about who took first place.

In terms of ability, one was an ace, the other a dance powerhouse—both perfectly suited.

As for personal preference, he had a good relationship with both, but if he had to choose, he was a bit closer to Su Junzhe.

Of course, fans didn’t see it that way.

After the two finished their speeches and took their seats, Fu Hanyu followed procedure and announced that the votes for this stage would be cleared, and that the voting channel for the third stage would open tomorrow.

Finally, he turned toward the waiting zone: “Unfortunately, your journey ends with the second stage. I hope you’ll stay true to your original intentions and shine brilliantly on the path ahead.”

“Today’s farewell is for a better reunion.”

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