Chasing You (Arc 8+)

Showstopper (XII)

Some of the female idols who were still rather new and didn't know how to conceal their emotions squealed in delight. Reaching 183 cm, he was already very tall as an actor. His genderless appearance had a unique charm to it and drew in everyone's eyes. His figure looked lean but everyone knew that underneath his clothes, he had a six-pack and toned muscles riveting across his body.

Jiang Man clapped his hand, "Welcome to 《All Stars》. My name is Jiang Man, and I will be the host of this show."

Stretching his slender arm out, he points to certain spots around the room, "You may have been wondering where all the cameramen have gone to as this is a TV show, but you have yet to spot one. The higher-ups decided to use hidden cameras for the first day as they wanted to record and showcase your emotions upon arrival. The cameras were located there, there,... and there."

Some of the idols' face turned white and their stomach churned green with regret. They made a fool of themselves on the first day! Praying, they can only hope that the editors will cut out their stupid mistake. Xiao Nongzang was one of them, but he was able to control his emotions more and played it off as if nothing had happened. He almost vomited blood when he heard the news. What was this?! He thought that they would only start filming when the arranged time came, but they had been filming a long time ago! Not only would it showcase his bad behavior, but that he lost to that child that had no parents. He was supposed to be on top, be better than Xiao Rui but somehow every time, his leg would be pulled on and he would make a mistake.

Ever since he could remember, he was told by his mother that he was going to be someone great and that everything belonged to him. This had been instilled in his mind for so long that it became almost like common sense to him. Xiao Nongzang was fuming but he placated himself, he will get rid of Xiao Rui; it was only a matter of time.

Chuckling, Jiang Man found their expressions to be quite comical. His eyed a group of four, his halcyon eyes twinkle with interest. It seemed like there was only a handful of people within the mass that would reach the fifth round.

He descried an unwanted figure and smiled amiably, "And who might you be?"

The person being pointed out felt their face heat up. It was Xiao Nongzang's manager that he brought with him and treated like a slave, Lu Jian¹. He Xiao naturally remembered her because she was the person who was supposed to be assigned to him when he first debuted. The original had been ecstatic about getting her as she had some achievements to be proud of, but her pride became too big. She turned her back on BB Entertainment and was bought into TS entertainment by Xiao Nongzang. He was a rather thick thigh and holding onto it wasn't so bad, or so she thought.

By the time she realized that it was hard to get off a tiger once she rode on it, she could only hold on until the end. Not only did TS Entertainment pay for her fees, but they also gave her various lavious things such as a car, a nice and spacious place to live, a good pay, and entry to events that were usually only for managers who managed first-tiered idols and actors.

Lu Jian bowed her head, "I'm Xiao Nongzang's manager and only came to assist him."

Jiang Man had been in this business for too long and had seen many things, but this would be a first for him. A babysitter coming to watch the child, only to let the child run rampage around. Yes, he knew of the little bickering that happened earlier as there were monitors displaying what was going on. Not only was he up there, but the judges and the 'big man' was also upstairs as well.

He was smiling but the words that came out of his mouth were poisonous, "Oh my. Please forgive me, I thought you were just a bystander that had wandered in without knowing that you were in the wrong place."

He was clearly jesting at her. How could a random bystander suddenly find their way in here? This place was guarded as if there was a secret treasure here that led to the secret of the universe. He was just stating that she as a manager didn't even resemble one because her backbone had been replaced with a elastic rubber band.

Jiang Man gave a long pause at the start as he spoke again, "But... I thought that it was clearly stated in the contract that only participants are allowed inside, does Mr. Xiao want to breach the terms of the contract already?"

This time, Xiao Nongzang's face didn't fail to show its pallidness and he clenched his fist as his smile became strained. He was getting singled out already at the start of the show, and he couldn't even say anything because it was the host that was saying it. Some of the other idols who didn't like him and were from the same company or had been in contact with him before snickered on the side. It was good to watch someone forced to eat their own shit. Lu Jian was knowledgeable and understood that this is where she steps off the stage.

She bowed deeply, "I'm sorry, this is my fault. I just wanted to make sure that he alright. Please don't penalize him for this, I will take on full responsibility."

Looking up, she saw that she had been granted amnesty by Jiang Man as they waved her away. Lu Jian bowed again to show her sincerity, "Thank you. Excuse me, I'll be taking my leave now."

She let out the breath of air she was holding. Thankfully things did not escalate to a point where Xiao Nongzang would be affected. Placing the large suitcase and bags on the ground next to Xiao Nongzang, she hurriedly fast walked out the front door of the place. Jiang Man sighed, "Now that the problem has been dealt with, we can proceed on the next part. You are currently in the newest building built for XR Entertainment and will the first residents here. This building has over ten floors. The first four floors are dedicated to recreational, training, and entertainment purposes. You will find the swimming pool, dance rooms, and weight rooms on within the first four floors."

"The fifth floor is where you are able to lounge and be able to cook. There is a total of four fully equipped cooking stations on that floor. You will always find freshly stocked food there. Of course, you're not expected to know how to cook and will be provided a service of being able to order out, but you will have to wait upon a staff member to bring it to you."

"The last five floors are where the bedrooms will be. We will only be accessing the first three levels and the other two levels will be strictly off limits. There are five rooms per floor and they're fully equipped with their own bathroom, so you don't have to share with anyone else but your roommate. At this point, you may be wondering why I say 'roommate'. There's thirty of you participating in the show and only fifteen rooms, so you will be paired off into the rooms. Naturally, females and males will be separated as we don't want any slip ups here."

Jiang Man pointed over to the counter that magically had a black box with a white question mark on it.

"Now, for who your roommate will be, that will be decided by drawing from that box. You will each draw a piece of paper from there. On that piece of paper will be a name, that person will be your roommate and there will be no tradeoffs available. Regardless of whoever you picked, you will be stuck with. Today, there aren't any activities planned for you and it will be allocated as if it is a free day. Feel free to explore the building and do what you want to for the remainder of the day."

Clapping his hands, he dismissed everyone from their sitting positions, "Now, let us begin. Start the drawing names."

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¹Lu Jian: '逯鉴', 逯 lu means to leave without reason, & 鉴 jian means to reflect, mirror.