Hey everyone, I’m back. I got delayed after the funeral. The government of my country actually blocked internet access for the whole country due to elections!!! 😭 It was the most boring week of my life.
After announcing the rules, Lin Qifeng waved his hand, letting everyone go about their business. Those who wanted to return to the dorm to rest could go back and sleep early. Those who wanted to stay in the practice room and review the content for tomorrow’s random dance challenge could continue practicing.
“Tomorrow, we won’t take the big bus used for performances. We’ll probably go to the hotel in batches.”
He reminded them before leaving, “Remember to pack your luggage tonight. It is best to bring a backpack with clothes for the next two days. If you really find it troublesome, you can also buy things at the hotel. Anyway, you take care of yourselves.”
Everyone answered with a smile, “Understood. Teacher, you rest early too. See you tomorrow!”
After Lin Qifeng left, none of the remaining 41 trainees went back to the dorm to rest early. They all stood up from the floor and tried to meet up with the teammates they were assigned.
Although everyone knew this wasn’t a public performance, since there were groups, it was inevitable to form cliques and competition.
However, whether it was competition between groups or within groups, those were matters that could only be seen after the program aired.
Right now, they couldn’t think that deeply. They just wanted to follow Lin Qifeng’s requirement and discuss with their teammates how to attract the audience’s attention, and how to become the most dazzling center.
“So the three of us are in a group…”
Yan Qiao looked at the two standing beside him, his gaze resting on Quentin. He smiled and said, “After going round and round, I never expected the chance to be in the same group would come like this. I thought there was no hope.”
Quentin looked a bit tired. The elimination of his teammates this afternoon had consumed quite a bit of his spirits. Even though he learned they would go out for a new activity tomorrow, he couldn’t muster much energy. He just leaned against the wall, slowly yawning.
“If it’s the three of us, a normal performance should be enough, right? Do we need to make any preparations in advance?” His tone was casual, as if stating the obvious.
Yan Qiao raised an eyebrow. “You’re quite confident. But you’re right. If it’s us three, we really don’t need those little tricks.”
He gestured towards Xue Mingzhu’s direction. “Look at those three unlucky guys, they were grouped together in a segment testing dancing. They can’t rap, can’t sing, and can’t even show their faces. I feel anxious for them.”
Cheng Shaozhi looked over and couldn’t help frowning, hesitating as he said, “Those three… how could the production team group them together? Did they even finish learning those 50+ dances?”
Quentin shook his head, explaining for them. “They haven’t finished. But there’s no need to worry too much. They plan to pretend to be the official atmosphere team. They’ll dance if they can, and if they really can’t, they’ll interact with the audience. Xue Mingzhu is quite good at that.”
When he first heard his name from Lin Qifeng, Xue Mingzhu’s initial reaction was indeed panic. He kept grabbing Quentin’s wrist and muttering incessantly.
But not long after, he realized…wait, why am I panicking? This small activity isn’t a formal performance. Even if he dances poorly, there’s a crowd of tourists alongside him. Besides, they’re wearing masks; no one on-site could recognize who he is anyway. What’s there to fear?
“Interaction… that’s actually a good method.” Yan Qiao stroked his chin. “We’ll need to interact with the audience too when the time comes. Do you have any ideas?”
Cheng Shaozhi thought for a moment and suggested, “How about we go to a mall to buy some small gifts for the audience? We can also pretend to be the official atmosphere team and act as lead dancers on-site.”
Quentin genuinely felt they didn’t need to consider so much. He wasn’t sure how Cheng Shaozhi had been practicing in the Class B practice room, but he knew his own and Yan Qiao’s level.
For them, as long as they danced well, they didn’t have to worry about attracting an audience. As for stage interaction, improvising would be enough.
He listened to Yan Qiao and Cheng Shaozhi discuss, and heard Yan Qiao say they could interact based on the dance style, like flirting with the audience while dancing to “Lust,” or getting the surrounding people to dance together when dancing to “Next! Next!”
‘Flirting with the audience…’ Quentin pondered silently. What counts as flirting?
Cheng Shaozhi quite agreed with Yan Qiao’s suggestion and added, “Besides the dance style, we also have to see what makeup and styling the production team arranges for us.”
“Teacher Lin said the grouping was based on makeup and styling style. That means members of the same group share a certain common point… The common point for the three of us should be having relatively good dance skills.”
Yan Qiao paused, glanced at Quentin thoughtfully, then lowered his head to examine himself. Finally, as if thinking of something, he looked up at Cheng Shaozhi, his expression somewhat subtle. “Actually, not necessarily. Dancing skills might be just one of the reasons. Hmm… Which song did you choose for your short video?”
‘What kind of look is that?’ Cheng Shaozhi looked back in puzzlement, and answered, “‘Lust.'”
“So all three of us did ‘Lust.'” Yan Qiao said naturally, then asked again, “When you practiced this dance in Class B, what did the other trainees say about you?”
Cheng Shaozhi had a somewhat cold personality and rarely took the initiative to interact with other trainees. This was also the main reason he had little screen time in the first few episodes of the main show. But even with limited screen time, he still took sixth place in the first ranking announcement and seventh in the second round, entering the debut lineup twice in a row. Why was that?
Having good-looks was part of it, but the most crucial point was that he attracted fans whenever he danced.
Cheng Shaozhi had trained in modern dance. Transitioning from modern dance to hip-hop was difficult, so he chose jazz as an intermediate step.
After more than a month of diligent practice, his progress has been remarkable. Anyone who seriously followed the program could see the vast difference between him now and during the initial stage evaluation.
The Class B trainees were even more aware of this modern dance expert’s transformation. Moreover, he had received an A grade in the initial stage. Every time they saw him, they deeply felt the disparity in the world.
Class B members: Damn it! The expert is not only more awesome than us, but also works harder. Sigh, we don’t want to live anymore!
As for their evaluation of Cheng Shaozhi dancing “Lust”…
Cheng Shaozhi: “They said I dance well.”
Dance well? More like the “dance was very awesome”.
Yan Qiao pondered in his heart: “Based on the submitted short videos, we were grouped not by skill but by makeup and styling style. And by putting me and Quentin in the same group…” It felt like the production team had bad intentions.
What common point could his and Quentin’s dancing have? It was just carrying forward the original song style of “Lust”, and dancing it with more sex appeal than the program team’s carefully selected reference video.
For people with solid dance skills like them, when facing short video internet-famous dances with low difficulty in choreography but emphasizing atmosphere, they would unconsciously add some small movements, which make the inherently incomplete choreography appear richer.
For example, when Yan Qiao lifted his clothes, he emphasized his hand movements, which when filmed, gave a feeling of “even the fingertips are dancing”.
Fingertips sliding over undulating skin, teasing the fabric as he pulled it up…he made such a simple action ambiguous and flirtatious, a true male enchantress.
Another example was Quentin. His shirt-lifting action was much more decisive than Yan Qiao’s. His hands touched his own body casually and openly, touching wherever needed, without any coyness or ambiguity.
His waist and hip movements were smoother than in the original video. He adjusted the pure beat-accented hip thrusts in the original version into a reverse wave from the hips to the chest and shoulders.
The undulation of the muscles was fully visible under the camera, which was both handsome and alluring, making people covetous and dazed.
He didn’t know if Quentin himself felt it, but Yan Qiao was very self-aware about their video styles…they were brushing the edge, a situation where sexiness and edging were only a step apart.
So sexy it sent shivers down the spine and people’s thought processes to rush straight to 18+ scenes, their brains full of yellow waste and substituting the moves into various online erotic novels. He could imagine the frenzy in the comment section after the videos are released.
Since Cheng Shaozhi also chose to dance “Lust,” with his dance skills, he could certainly bring out that vibe in the original song too.
Yan Qiao had a hard time imagining what “style-matching” makeup and styling the production team would arrange for them. But since it would be ancient costumes anyway, they’ll be layers upon layers and probably won’t expose much. Otherwise, he’d really suspect the director wanted to sell the three of them off.
*
The next morning, the trainees who had been looking forward to it all night got up early, ready to go.
The simple-styled casual clothes in Quentin’s suitcase were all washed and hanging on the balcony. The rest were flashy, flamboyant clothes. He didn’t dislike this style; he just didn’t wear it often.
He picked a shirt with interwoven patterns of dark green and crimson red, the collar an open V-neck as usual. The system immediately started jumping around in his mind, urging him to wear more accessories.
“This is your first trip out in this world, you must dress up nicely!” The system declared righteously. “Other trainees are all seriously working on their outfits, and many are spraying perfume on themselves. Host, you absolutely must not lose!”
It scanned the jewelry box. “Host, host, there’s a Baroque pearl choker there. This one is beautiful! And in the box on the left, there’s a diamond-studded watch. The color matches your shirt very well. You need such finishing touches when it comes to such dark-colored outfits!”
Quentin put them on one by one, then stood in front of the bathroom mirror and looked at himself. “…Are you sure?”
The system was very serious. “Yes! Positive!”
Wen Xinyi, who had just gone to the neighboring dorm to borrow a mask, pushed the door open and entered the room. The moment he looked up and saw Quentin standing at the bathroom door, the whole person froze instantly.
!!
Wen Xinyi swallowed, stammering a bit, “Quentin, the-these, are these new clothes? I haven’t seen you wear something like this before.”
Quentin nodded. Noticing Wen Xinyi’s gaze, he asked directly, “Is it not good-looking?”
Wen Xinyi instinctively shook his head. “It’s good-looking. You look good in anything. It’s just that I rarely see you wear this style. Hmm… it’s very pretty.”
Like the young master of a wealthy family returning from abroad, young and rebellious, and loves to challenge styles beyond conventional aesthetics.
The bold floral shirt had an open collar, and plump, translucent pearls hung along the collarbone onto the chest, bold and beautiful.
It was very different from his usual fresh, sporty style in the program, where he paired everything with a white T-shirt.
But thinking carefully, on the first day Quentin came to record the program, he was dressed quite trendy and flamboyant. Could this be his favorite style?
If someone else wore it, Wen Xinyi would have found it hard to appreciate this style. But since it was Quentin, he said sincerely, “You pull it off very well. And if you wear this set with sunglasses and a mask, I guarantee no one will be able to recognize you.”
Quentin thought to himself, ‘I almost didn’t recognize myself when I looked in the mirror just now. Such flashy clothes, only the system likes them so much.’
“I’m all packed here. I’ll go down first to meet up with Yan Qiao and the others.” Quentin said. “See you later.”
Wen Xinyi smiled and hummed in agreement, waving at him. “See you later, Quentin.”
….
To avoid the crowded, bustling scene like at the performance venue entrance during the second public performance, the entire itinerary from the hotel to Lulin Ancient Town was strictly confidential this time. The production team didn’t leak a single bit of information. They also deliberately had the trainees travel in batches and stay at the hotel discreetly.
“Later, after you take the car to the hotel, go to your room to drop off your luggage, then go to room 1605 for makeup and styling.”
While waiting for the cars, the assistant director emphasized repeatedly, “Don’t linger in the rooms. Finish the styling quickly, and you can go to Lulin Ancient Town to play earlier.”
“The dance challenge officially starts at 6 PM and lasts until 10 PM. Although each group’s time on-stage is fixed, we support everyone participating early.” She said jokingly, “If your stamina is enough, you can dance from 6 to 10.”
“Also, do you remember what day tomorrow is?”
“The Friday live stream will still proceed as usual, but the broadcast times are adjusted to morning and afternoon. The final live stream ends before 6 PM. So, if you want to go out to play during the day, you must complete your assigned one-hour broadcast before going out.”
A trainee raised a hand to ask, “Big Sister, can we do outdoor live streams? Like walking around Lulin Ancient Town while streaming or something?”
The assistant director smiled slightly. “Of course…not. You cannot reveal we are recording a program at Lulin Ancient Town.”
“The number of tourists coming for Halloween this time is already large. If we attract more fans, it might cause congestion and accidents. The important point is it would affect the enjoyment of ordinary tourists. Everyone should be low-key, okay?”
Everyone reluctantly drew out their voices. “Okay…”
“Then let’s hand out the room cards first.” The assistant director looked down and took out a stack of room cards, calling names one by one. “Xue Mingzhu, come up and get your group’s. Zhou Zilin, Quentin…”
Quentin stepped forward and took three room cards, handing them to his two teammates. “Room 1604. We’re staying next to the makeup room.”
“Huh? We’re quite lucky.” Yan Qiao flipped the room card over and looked carefully. “I don’t know how many beds it has. Most likely all rooms are double rooms.”
Quentin said casually, “Anyway, it’s only for one night. Any bed is fine.”
Cheng Shaozhi carefully put the room card into his backpack, then turned to look. “You two didn’t bring bags. Do you want me to hold your cards?”
“Yes, thanks.”
As they chatted, the cars to pick them up arrived. There were all sorts of vehicles: business cars, sedans, even taxis.
A sedan stopped in front of the three of them. Yan Qiao opened the car door first, turned sideways to look at his two teammates, and raised his hand, gesturing for them to get in first.
Cheng Shaozhi gave him a strange look. Although their fans were at odds, he and Yan Qiao themselves weren’t actually familiar. Apart from a few PKs, they had no other interactions.
His impression of Yan Qiao still stayed at “a very skilled dancer.” As for personality… he had no impression.
Now it seemed he was quite a considerate and attentive person?
Cheng Shaozhi got into the car and moved to the innermost seat near the door on the other side. As he turned his head, he saw Quentin also moving over, inadvertently looking up and meeting the boy’s gaze.
Previously, he also hadn’t had much interaction with Quentin. Even though the Class A and Class B practice rooms were adjacent, and the Class B trainees often ran to the Class A practice room after class from time to time, Cheng Shaozhi was never one of them.
However, he often heard people around him discussing Quentin, with content including praise, envy, curiosity, and speculation.
Like the good-looking top student in a key high school that cares most about grades, he’s undoubtedly the focus of all teachers and students.
Cheng Shaozhi could understand the trainees’ admiration for Quentin. He just didn’t care much about it.
Although he looked sharp and smart, with narrow phoenix eyes that looked shrewd and aloof, he was actually a dance fanatic. Put in school terms, he was the bookworm who buried his head in studies and ignored the world. What did the school’s famous, high-profile figures have to do with him?
People who rarely communicate face-to-face with Quentin are always momentarily dazed when they suddenly meet his gaze, caught by those green eyes.
By the time Cheng Shaozhi regained his composure, the car door was already closed.
Three boys over 180 cm tall sat in the back seat of the sedan, shoulders against shoulders and legs next to legs. It was slightly crowded.
Quentin sat in the middle. He reached out, placing a hand on the back of the driver’s seat, leaned forward, and asked, “Driver, how long will it take to get from here to the hotel?”
The driver answered, “Over forty minutes.”
“Okay, thank you, driver.” Quentin withdrew his hand and sat back.
The space in the back seat of this sedan was really a bit narrow. Quentin was so squeezed his shoulders couldn’t stretch out. He tried shifting his position, but to no avail, so he simply pressed against the shoulders of the two people beside him.
Then he tilted his head back, resting the back of his head on the pillow tied to the back of the seat, and raised a hand to rub his eyes. “I’ll sleep a bit in the car. Wake me when we arrive.”
Yan Qiao turned his head and saw his eyes closed. Within two minutes, he heard his even breathing. His gaze followed the shadows under his eyelashes, sliding down to his fair, smooth neck.
He reached out and gently pulled the pearl necklace out a bit from where it was piled between the back of Quentin’s neck and the pillow. He moved very gently, letting the pearls extend down along Quentin’s collarbone, so they wouldn’t press uncomfortably against the back of his head.
As soon as Yan Qiao withdrew his hand, he met Cheng Shaozhi’s stare from the other side. The latter had a slight frown as he watched his actions, seemingly pondering something.
“What’s wrong?” Yan Qiao asked, puzzled.
Cheng Shaozhi shook his head and didn’t speak.
He thought to himself: ‘Is he naturally considerate and attentive, or is he specifically attentive to Quentin?’
…..
Four Seasons Hotel, first-floor lobby.
Three girls got their room cards from the front desk and walked arm in arm toward the elevator.
“Tongtong, did you book a makeup artist to help with makeup? Or are we doing it ourselves?”
“I didn’t book one. I asked on the forum, but I think I asked too late; everyone’s schedules are full.”
Mi Tong’s tone was regretful. “But I looked up some information. Lulin Ancient Town has arranged witch ladies to help with special effects makeup for this Halloween event. I heard they sit in pumpkin carriages. We can go find them then.”
Wei Man blinked. “Witches in pumpkin carriages? Hmm, I’ll remember that. But if we ask them for makeup, we’ll probably have to wait in line for a long time, right? Should we go early?”
“We’ll do our own base makeup after we drop off our luggage and change clothes later, and then just take a taxi there.”
Mo Fan planned clearly. “Taking a taxi from the hotel to Lulin Ancient Town takes less than ten minutes. We’ll look for the pumpkin carriage witch as soon as we get out. After makeup, we’ll find a place in the ancient town to have lunch.”
Mi Tong nodded in agreement. “Okay. I heard there’s a themed restaurant in Lulin Ancient Town that’s quite good. We can go there then…”
As she walked past the corner leading to the elevator, her gaze inadvertently swept across the corridor in front of the elevator. Her voice paused, then she unconsciously lowered her volume. “…then we can check out that restaurant.”
The two girls walking beside her also instinctively lowered their voices to respond.
“Mhm mhm, remember to check the menu online before going, so we don’t get ripped off.”
“It’s definitely much more expensive inside a scenic area than outside. We can’t do anything about it…”
They chatted with their heads bowed, whispering and muttering to each other while exchanging glances.
Ahem! Did you see that? Did you see? The three by the elevator! They seem really handsome!
Hmm… especially the one dressed fashionably, I didn’t dare to look closely.
What’s there to not dare? I observed carefully just now. My intuition tells me the one in the floral shirt is the most handsome!
Wei Man watched her friends making eyes and felt their lack of tacit understanding. She silently took out her phone and tapped into their three-person dorm group chat.
[Wei Man]: Stop winking! They’re all wearing masks, how can you tell if they’re handsome or not!
[Mi Tong]: You don’t understand. After chasing offline events a lot, I’ve developed a radar for handsome guys who are covered up.
[Mi Tong]: Their physique is a bit like celebrities…tall, slender, and good proportions. It’s hard to see guys of this quality in real life.
[Mo Fan]: It’s indeed rare. These three have a great aura, they might be models.
[Mi Tong]: Huh? Now that you mention it, they really do resemble models.
[Mi Tong]: But that floral-shirt guy feels more like a rich second generation. He gives off an expensive, rebellious vibe. And he’s wearing sunglasses; the other two aren’t. Only his outfit is so bold.
[Mo Fan]: Overall, he dresses quite beautifully, like a peacock. Judging by his clothes and presence, he should be really good-looking.
[Wei Man]: No, wait, you guys… how can you even tell that???
Wei Man heard the elevator emit a “ding” sound. She quickly put away her phone and looked up toward the elevator doors, her peripheral vision unconsciously drifting toward the three boys nearby.
‘So tall… feels about the same height as Quentin.’
For some reason, she thought of the scene she saw while waiting outside the “NS” performance venue a few days ago. Her gaze landed on the face of the boy wearing sunglasses and a floral shirt.
This person was definitely young. His face was small, and his hair was very fluffy. His palm-sized face was completely covered by sunglasses and a mask, even his ears were half-covered by hair. His earlobes were so thin they seemed translucent, as white as the pearls hanging around his neck.
He raised one hand, hooking his necklace and pulling it out a bit.
That hand was like that of a hand model in a top jewelry advertisement…long, slender fingers without calluses, fingertips round and delicate, like flawless white jade.
Wei Man stared at this scene, momentarily entranced.
…She seemed to understand why Mi Tong and Mo Fan said he was the most handsome, and a rich second generation.
weeelcome to the translator, thank you for the chapters