DYUTVOBGA Chapter 31

This sentence directly fried Quentin’s CPU.

He closed his eyes and spread his hands: “Give me a phone, show me the chat log.”

As his voice fell, fluorescent blue data streams spun and converged in his palm, forming a white curved-screen phone within 2 seconds.

The phone’s logo floated in the center of the screen, then the screen automatically jumped, loading the forum after 1 second, logging into the account, entering the 99+ private message list, and then clicking on the pinned chat box.

Quentin didn’t miss the 99+ likes and comments that flashed by in the private message list, and immediately realized something: “Is this your account?”

“Mhmm, yes!”

The electronic voice in his head sounded proud.

So the system was surfing the internet under a real name and eating melons? He always thought it was a data stream crawling randomly along the internet cables…

“Oh… okay.”

Quentin didn’t dwell further on the system’s method of being online and looked down at the chat log displayed on the phone.

[xi–tong]: What’s your relationship with Brother Zhong (`⌒′x) I’m his current boyfriend, I saw the chat history with you on his phone!

[xi–tong]: High school students should all go back and study properly! At such a young age, your hair isn’t even fully grown yet, stop harassing other people’s boyfriends 丶(#`Д′)丿

[xi–tong]: The one he loves the most is me!!!

[xiaoyu111]: Brother, I’m a 1(top), you and Brother Zhong must be the same number, right? [scratches head]

[xiaoyu111]: Or are you inviting me [blink]

[xiaoyu111]: I don’t mind 3p either~

Quentin’s attention was forcibly dragged away by the system’s remarks, and for a moment he couldn’t regain his focus.

In comparison, the reply from this xiaoyu111, who was suspected to be Zhong Qu’s boyfriend, didn’t seem so outrageous anymore.

“…System, where did you learn to talk like this?”

The system’s tone was as innocent and carefree as ever: “I learned it on the forum!”

Quentin: “…Okay, pretty impressive.”

The forum was a truly magical place, actually training his system to be like this.

But no matter how hard the system tried to play the rough delinquent who indulged in smoke and alcohol, it couldn’t hide its essence as a little cutie.

It probably didn’t even realize that this xiaoyu111 was being sarcastic and mocking it; his level was much higher than this naive, sweet, study-preaching system just copying others.

Quentin rubbed his face and shifted his attention back to Zhong Qu’s “legitimate boyfriend.”

xiaoyu111’s avatar was an anime boy wearing headphones sitting in the back row of a bus.

His personal profile read “180cm /75cm/16cm, top, high school sophomore, hobbies basketball/swimming/gaming, don’t read DMs, do not disturb.”

The homepage background was a screenshot of an MVP record from some game.

Quentin clicked into xiaoyu111’s homepage and slowly scrolled down.

The boy hadn’t posted many threads, only 17 in total.

Apart from a small portion being game screenshots, the photos and main content in the other forum posts were quite worth pondering.

A night scene of a prosperous street with bright lights outside a hotel window with barred windows.

Piled-up beer cans on a table.

A cigarette with glowing embers in an ashtray.

A close-up of a wet hand and a blurry side profile.

A small plastic bottle tipped over on a table, oily liquid spilling from the mouth.

Besides these, there were 5 posts with photos of brand-new sneakers from various angles, all trendy brands highly popular and well-liked by young boys on the market.

The post themes were “New shoes received~”, “Brother is so good to me [red heart]”, “I like him so much”, and so on.

But the watch he showed off during the live stream in the original plot wasn’t there…perhaps because Zhong Qu has not debuted in a group yet and hasn’t earned enough money to support his extravagant spending on a young boyfriend?

Quentin now assumed by default that this “xiaoyu111” was the high school student who would live-stream and talk about his love story with Zhong Qu in the future.

He clicked on the last blurry side-profile photo in one of the posts, which showed someone lying on a large hotel bed: “System, scan this picture and compare it with Zhong Qu’s face.”

After saying that, he checked xiaoyu111’s following list and the people who left comments on his posts one by one, gradually locked onto an influencer account with nearly 100,000 followers.

This person named “0-degree Combustible Ice” was the only one whom xiaoyu111 had @ed in all his posts and left a comment saying “Brother, I miss you”.

The moment Quentin clicked into 0-degree Combustible Ice’s homepage, provocative photos in all kinds of poses abruptly filled the entire screen.

Each one was from a shooting angle that a straight man would never expect.

Quentin: “.”

Well, it wasn’t surprising; most of xiaoyu111’s following list consisted of porn influencers, they just had fewer followers than 0-degree Combustible Ice, and the scale of their photos wasn’t as explicit.

To be honest, he didn’t really understand.

The photography quality wasn’t great, the photo atmosphere felt too forced, the model’s body was skinny and dry, lacking muscle, and the face wasn’t shown either.

Was it because they were yellow enough and bold enough?

The system, having finished scanning and comparing the photo in 0.5 seconds, reported excitedly: “Host! It matches! This photo is Zhong Qu’s side profile!!!”

“Okay, got it.”

Quentin sat cross-legged, leaning lazily against the wall, looking down as he browsed 0-degree Combustible Ice’s highly-liked posts. His expression was calm, completely unlike someone watching porn.

“System, scan a few more.”

He crooked a finger, indicating: “The photos in this account… although they don’t show faces, other details can be compared.”

It was hard for the human eye to discern the differences accurately, especially since photos posted by influencers on public platforms are rarely unedited.

Changes in filters and lighting, distortions from angles, various objective factors would all affect the comparison between the photos and the real person.

But the system wasn’t human, ordinary photo editing can’t fool the complex data stream detection of an excellent employee from the Transmigration Bureau.

Soon, it reached a conclusion.

The photos on “0-degree Combustible Ice’s” homepage were of Zhong Qu himself!

And through his following list, the five high school boyfriends mentioned in the original book could be identified one by one.

Clearly, this account was a side account Zhong Qu used to contact his boyfriends.

The main characters’ teammate in the original book, who debuted through a boy group survival show, was actually a well-known porn influencer in the gay circle posting various suggestive photos in private?

This was even more explosive than the paparazzi’s exposure of “simultaneously dating five high school boyfriends”…

Quentin was deeply confused.

He couldn’t understand Zhong Qu’s thinking.

Since he had already come to participate in the boy group survival show, why leave an account full of black history unattended? Was he reluctant to part with these 100,000 followers?

If he really couldn’t bear to part with it, he should just focus on developing his porn influencer career. Why come to the boy group survival show to get involved? He wanted it all? Did he really take the audience for fools?

To tell the truth, Zhong Qu’s messy private life was his own business. Whether he was a porn influencer or had sex parties with five boyfriends, even if he went into the adult film industry, it was his own choice.

But if he was doing these things while also wanting to debut as an idol in a boy group, that was just too much.

Idols are essentially a profession that sells love and fantasy.

Fans project the affection that is hard to find in reality onto idols who possess their ideal image, and they invest more and more time and money. They rightfully deserve the idol’s wholehearted reciprocation.

Maintaining a clean private life is obviously the simplest condition, much easier than practicing all night in the training room or running a grueling schedule day and night. Why can’t some people do it?

Is physical desire really that hard to give up?

Nowadays, there are more and more fans willing to indulge their idols. Idols dating is no longer a capital offense that everyone condemns. But dating five high school boys at the same time and having group sex parties and orgies is really so outrageous. It’s so outrageous it opens the door for outrageous…it was outrageous to the extreme.

Fortunately, only Zhong Qu’s relationships were exposed in the original book. If this porn influencer account was also exposed…

Quentin tried to put himself in others’ shoes. If he were Zhong Qu’s fan, he would have had his heart of devotion shattered on the spot and wanted to take a knife to slash the scumbag.

And bystanders watching the excitement and not finding it too much would probably ask for the account ID in the comments. He didn’t know if this wave of traffic would satisfy Zhong Qu.

The system didn’t know what Quentin was thinking during his silent moment. It just happily set off fireworks in its host’s head, celebrating in advance the great progress of the mission.

“It’s too early to celebrate now.”

Quentin placed the phone screen-down on the floor and spoke only after the system finished setting off the fireworks.

“Since triggering the dream, Yan Qiao’s redemption progress bar has remained stuck at 20% without any change. If I’m not mistaken, this 20% represents the hidden disaster caused by the popularity of Zhong Qu and Yan Qiao’s CP in the ‘NS’ program.”

“However, we have already obtained this 20% progress, which means that any future interactions between Zhong Qu and Yan Qiao in ‘NS’ will not achieve the effect described in the original book. For the next three months or so, we don’t need to pay attention to their interactions anymore.”

“This is a good thing, but it also means that until the ‘NS’ program ends, Yan Qiao’s progress bar will likely not see further changes.”

Quentin paused for two seconds and said in a low voice, “Moreover, I don’t think the black material behind Zhong Qu is a dud. Even if Zhong Qu cannot debut in the group, these outrageous black materials could explode at any time.”

“And once they explode, the impact on the subsequent program would be immeasurable.”

The system said blankly, “Then what should we do…”

“Relax.”

The golden-haired, green-eyed boy propped his chin with the base of his palm, his fingers tapping lazily on his cheek.

Strands of brilliant golden hair fell between his brows and eyes, the lake in his eyes tranquil and windless, not stirring with the slightest ripple.

“Think from another angle. If we kick Zhong Qu out of the program in advance, can the remaining redemption progress bar related to Zhong Qu be unlocked all at once?”

He curled his fingers and tapped on the phone case, his demeanor composed: “Look, the key is already in our hands.”

*

The next morning, the program team temporarily notified the 101 trainees to change into the previously distributed black uniforms and assemble in the square downstairs of the dormitory.

The uniforms the trainees received were specially custom-made by ‘Next Stage’ months in advance from a British designer, thanks to Galaxy Entertainment’s deep pockets.

The uniforms for the previous season’s girl group survival show were bought by directly purchasing the copyright of a ready-made JK plaid skirt design from an island country designer, and cost less than half of ‘NS’s expenditure.

And the final look of this set of uniforms did not betray its expensive price.

A fitted charcoal gray suit paired with a long-point collar white shirt, draped with a pure black knee-length robe, and complemented by a pair of polished Oxford leather shoes. Wearing the entire set exuded a solemn and dignified noble air.

But the dark green striped tie worn on the chest added just the right touch of liveliness, which was more in line with the temperament of young people.

This outfit had a seventy percent resemblance to the uniforms of the British Radley Public School in Quentin’s previous life memory, and the color scheme also somewhat resembled the Hogwarts Slytherin house uniform.

It looked good, but did they want them to dance in such leather shoes?

After Quentin got dressed and walked out of the dorm, he was met with countless stares along the way.

The trainees, who had initially been excited about wearing custom-made suits, instantly deflated when they saw the black-haired, green-eyed boy.

Damnit! How can someone be that handsome!!!

The trainees exchanged gloomy glances with each other.

Hmph, it feels like this outfit was specially custom-made by the director for Quentin.

Even the color of the tie matched his eyes.

This feeling of being overshadowed just by being in the same frame was really something they didn’t enjoy experiencing.

Quentin was shoulder-hugged by Xue Mingzhu. Every time the two of them stood together, Xue Mingzhu’s arm seemed to grow on Quentin’s shoulder, never parting.

Their close relationship was known to everyone across all four classes, and this “their” might need to include Yan Qiao as well.

After all, Yan Qiao had really put in a lot of effort to integrate into Quentin’s circle of friends…

So much so that Xue Mingzhu internally berated his shamelessness every day, yet found it hard to vent due to the ever-present cameras, and couldn’t stop it either.

And moreover, they were roommates.

The Yan-Xue duo living together in dorm 301 would perform a little skit of passive-aggressive sarcasm every night after returning to the dorm, and their impressions of each other had already hit rock bottom.

Yan Qiao thought Xue Mingzhu’s temper was like a rock fished out of a latrine…smelly and hard, and it was a miracle he had lived peacefully to 18.

Xue Mingzhu thought Yan Qiao was like a spineless worm, lying motionless every day when he returned to the dorm, not tidying his bed properly, his suitcase always lying open on the floor, his personal habits a complete mess. How old was he still waiting for others to serve him?

Quentin was unaware of all this, or perhaps he had some inkling, but didn’t care.

Because in his view, these two just needed a period of adjustment, and this process wasn’t something he could interfere with.

Well, maybe he would sigh with emotion at times when Xue Mingzhu and Yan Qiao were bickering: “You two get along so well.”

Then he would get to appreciate two absolutely brilliant reaction faces 😛

Director Wang stood in the center of the square holding a loudspeaker, calling people to come forward and line up according to their theme song assessment ranking.

This time was different from the initial stage ratings. The production team had no intention of keeping everyone in suspense or creating drama. They quickly and efficiently called five or six names at once, forming an inverted triangle formation in less than ten minutes.

“Is it over already…?”

“Uh, I didn’t even react. I thought they would announce the rankings formally.”

“It’s just the theme song assessment, no need for that. It’s not like announcing the advancement and elimination results after a performance. You’ll see the real grand scene then, don’t cry when the time comes.”

“Really? First place is Quentin again? He was the first A in the initial stage last time, and now he’s the center for the theme song…”

“Are you envious? This is the world of the strong. We ordinary people can only watch from afar, without even the desire to chase.”

“Maybe we could team up with Quentin in future performances… Hey, what’s that expression? Don’t say you don’t want to be in his team, that’s just too pretentious.”

“…Tch, the probability of being in the same team is too low. Xue Mingzhu and Yan Qiao have already reserved two spots. How many people can be in one group?”

“Hmph, what’s the use of reserving? Doesn’t it still depend on what the specific grouping rules are? I don’t believe Director Wang would allow three A-class trainees to be in one group, that would be bullying!”

…

Director Wang stood in front of the line, confirmed everything was correct, then raised the loudspeaker and shouted: “Everyone, remember your current positions! Remember which row and number you are in! Remember which row and number you are in! Who is in front, behind, left, and right of you!”

“Later we will take a bus to the location for the future MV shoot for a trial filming! Then, bring out the fighting spirit you had during the theme song assessment! Don’t slack off just because it’s a trial shoot! We will adjust the formation based on your specific performance! Those who slack off, be careful or you’ll stand farther and farther back!”

These words immediately made the group erupt into a flurry of noise.

The news came too suddenly. The trainees, who had been cut off from the internet for four or five days inside the filming base, never expected an opportunity to go out today.

Even if it was just going out for a trial MV shoot, it was still going out!

And they were going out dressed so formally and impressively…so face-giving. Who wouldn’t be happy about it?

Someone subconsciously exclaimed: “Huh? Then we don’t have to attend classes this afternoon?”

Because he was excited, he couldn’t control his volume for a moment, and his voice was so loud that even the filming crew at the back could hear it.

Under Director Wang’s sinister glare, all the trainees either lowered their heads or covered their mouths, with suppressed laughter rising and falling.

Someone else boldly asked loudly: “Director Wang! Where are we going to shoot the MV? Can you give us a hint in advance?”

There was no need to keep this question confidential. Director Wang raised the loudspeaker and answered in a neither loud nor soft voice: “Deville International High School. It’s about half an hour’s drive from here.”

“?!”

Xue Mingzhu, who was standing at the edge of the fourth row, suddenly looked up and subconsciously glanced towards the boy at the tip of the triangular formation.

Deville International High School?

Wasn’t that Quentin’s alma mater!