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.............
The next day–
The second stage was over, and it was usually time for the students to rest. However, just after one o'clock in the morning, when everyone was still sound asleep, the alarm bell of the whole building suddenly rang.
There were wailing sounds from many dormitories, and some people even came out only in their underpants:
"What happened??"
"Is that the fire alarm?"
However, in the next second, the voice of the broadcast echoed through the corridor, "Attention to all trainees, please wash up and arrive in the hall to assemble within half an hour. Everyone, be sure to be there."
The broadcast was repeated several times, reminding them over and over again.
At the beginning, no one paid attention, as everyone still wanted to continue to sleep. Unexpectedly, five minutes later, the broadcast sound appeared again: "Attention to all trainees, please wash up and arrive in the hall to assemble within 25 minutes. Any latecomer will face consequences." Then, they announced the countdown.
Jian Xingsui sat up from the bed in a jolt, and Ning Ze, who slept in the bed beside him also got up.
While putting on his clothes, Ning Ze said, "Wake Xingchen up, let's assemble."
Although Jian Xingsui was very sleepy, hearing the countdown to the meeting instantly refreshed him. He nodded, got up quickly, put on his clothes, and stood up. After glancing at the still-peacefully sleeping Shen Xingchen, he sighed: "Xingchen, wake up."
The young master turned a deaf ear, turned over and continued to sleep.
Jian Xingsui had no choice but to go to the bathroom. He got a wet towel and hit Shen Xingchen directly on the face.
Shen Xingchen cursed softly, and sat up with a wet towel sticking on his face, "Are you crazy?"
Jian Xingsui sighed, and just as he was about to speak, the countdown on the broadcast sounded again: "Attention to all trainees, please wash up and arrive in the hall to assemble within 20 minutes."
Jian Xingsui shook the little ancestor Shen, "Did you hear that? Hurry up, we are going to assemble soon."
When Shen Xingchen got up, he was very angry. Hearing the cold-toned broadcast only added fuel to the fire, "It's only one o'clock in the morning, what are you going to do together, go to hell!"
The voice was so loud that it almost knocked over the door.
Jian Xingsui was so close that his eardrums were about to rupture. He cringed as he said: "There must be something wrong, don't delay and get up quickly, or you will be late later."
The more he was forced to get up, the more he refused to do it.
Just as he was struggling, the horn in the corridor rang again. This time it was no longer the voice of the staff, but the voice of Actor Fu. His voice was slow, but it gave people the feeling of giving an ultimatum, "Attention to all trainees, it is now the last 5 minutes. Please assemble in the hall immediately, do not be late."
When Actor Fu's voice fell, there were chaotic footsteps in the corridor.
Jian Xingsui was in a hurry this time, so he said to Ning Ze next to him, "Come here and help me carry him up!"
Ning Ze hesitated: "Are you serious??"
Jian Xingsui nodded fiercely: "Come on!"
So, almost everyone in the hall had arrived. The cameramen started preparing for the shooting. But then, a commotion broke out, as many trainees focused their gaze on Ning Ze... who was carrying the still-sleeping Shen Xingchen on his back. Jian Xingsui followed soon, carrying their belongings.
"..."
Everyone in the hall was silent for a few seconds.
After a while–
Someone took the lead in laughing.
Even the audience in the live broadcast room were amused:
[Even on this occasion, Xingchen is still able to sleep through?]
[Ning Ze really looks like a father, and Suisui next to him is like an old mother.]
[Hahaha, you are not afraid when Xingchen said he'll beat you up?"]
Because of this funny scene, the number of comments in the barrage increased, and the popularity of the live broadcast room also increased a lot.
After everyone arrived at the hall, they were asked to get on the bus prepared by the program crew. After everyone got on the bus, the instructor said in front: "Everyone should sleep for a while. We will wake you up when we arrive at our destination."
It was still around one o'clock in the morning, so obviously, many people were still half-asleep.
A trainee asked where they were taking them, but the instructors all smiled and did not answer directly.
Of course, Shen Xingchen was also one of those who continued to sleep. When the bus stopped again, the young master finally woke up. Sleep still muddling his brain, he groggily asked, "Why am I in a bus?"
Jian Xingsui, who was taking a nap next to him, sighed and said helplessly: "We tried to wake you up... but it was futile, so we just carried you over."
Before Shen Xingchen could figure what Jian Xingsui meant, someone outside the bus shouted to get off.
At this time, it was past two o'clock in the morning, and it was still pitch black everywhere. There were street lights where the bus stopped. The trainees gathered with the cameraman and finally got a clear view of the place.
Instructor Li said, "Hello everyone, this is Mount Tai1Mount Tai (泰山 Tài Shān) is a sacred mountain in Shandong, China, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site., one of the five famous mountains. Our task today is to climb to the top of Mount Tai before sunrise to see the great rivers and mountains of our motherland!"
"..."
There was a moment of silence.
It was impossible for anyone to think that they were suddenly pulled up in the middle of the night to climb a mountain. It was really surprising.
Instructor Li smiled and said: "I knew that everyone was very surprised. Our rule today is that whoever climbs to the top of Mount Tai first will have the right to independently select songs and form a team in the final performance."
...the temptation was indeed, very big.
Tuya, who stood next to him, was also wearing a mountaineering suit. She said, "Also, we have prepared huts at each short rest stop. The first team to reach the hut will have a surprise waiting for them~ Please try your best to climb the mountain!"
The trainees seemed to be a little bit more energetic.
Shen Xingchen even asked, "What's the surprise, Instructor?"
Tuya shook her head and cheekily said, "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, would it?"
Since the instructors told them so, of course the contestants could only explore it by themselves. However, many of them also had great expectations for this surprise, and everyone became immediately hooked.
Seeing everyone eager to try, Fu Jinxiao said lightly, "This time, there is no limit to the number of people in each team, and you can form your own team."
After hearing this, everyone was even happier!
Jian Xingsui was courageous: "There is no limit on the number of people, that is to say, can two or three people form a small team?"
Fu Jinxiao nodded: "Yes."
This news was very good for many people. Since the first selection eliminated half of them last time, there are only 56 people left in the whole scene. This time, they have rested for a few days, which means that the announcement of the second selection would be announced soon. Their public ranking would be displayed, and another half of them would be eliminated. As for the final stage, the top 16 would be able to participate.
Maybe... today's mountaineering activity would be their last time together. Everyone needs to cherish the time they have now.
When grouping, Shen Xingchen said to Jian Xingsui almost without hesitation: "Needless to say, we are in a group of three!"
No one had any objections.
One member of their trio didn't wake up properly just an hour ago, but now, they were all nice and ready to face the activity together.
Shen Xingchen said: "Come on! Take first place!"
Seeing how fast he was running, Jian Xingsui couldn't help reminding him: "Conserve your energy, this climb won't be done quickly! We need to be able to walk near the end!"
Shen Xingchen scoffed at his words: "I won't be able to walk? Who do you look down on?"
"..."
Ten minutes later—
The young master sat on a big stone by the roadside, gasping for air. His cheeks were flushed, and yet, he was still able to complain his heart out, "I'm so tired! Why haven't we arrived at the first rest point yet?"
Along the way, other teams kept catching up with them. Although there were also a couple of teams who trailed behind them at a slower pace.
Ning Ze took a look at his binoculars and said, "There's a red flag over there, I guess the rest point is there."
Jian Xingsui wanted to complain a long time ago, "Ze-ge, where did you get the binoculars?"
Ning Ze cheekily said, "I brought it from home myself."
Why on earth would anyone bring binoculars to a talent show? Was this a reasonable action done by a sane person?
Jian Xingsui's dumbfounded expression was recorded in HD by the program crew, and it quickly became the laughing point of the audience:
[Hahahaha, I have the same expression just now.]
[Ning Ze, what surprise will you bring next? I'm looking forward to seeing it soon.]
[Be strong, Shen Xingchen!]
Jian Xingsui glanced at the people at the foot of the mountain and said, "Let's get up and run quickly, otherwise we won't be able to get to the rest stop if someone overtakes us. Didn't Instructor Tuya say that only the first team arrived can get the surprise gift?"
Shen Xingchen moaned, "But I really can't walk now! I feel like my legs don't belong to me anymore! "
Jian Xingsui wanted to say that Shen Xingchen only reap what he sowed.
After all, how could anyone be as aggressive as him? Just rushing forward without caring about whether or not his own physical strength can keep up?
Ning Ze sighed as he offered, "Do you want me to carry you?"
Shen Xingchen shook his head and said, "I'm a man. How can a man be carried? Who are you looking down on?"
His words amused Jian Xingsui. He almost chuckled.
Jian Xingsui rolled up his sleeves and walked forward, and then squatted down in front of Shen Xingchen: "I'll give you a massage."
Shen Xingchen said vigilantly, "What are you doing?"
Shen Xingchen's leg snapped over. He didn't know which acupuncture points were pressed, but fuck does it hurt. He began to howl at the top of his voice. This sound seemed to startle the birds in the forest into fleeing.
Shen Xingchen cried, "Take it easy, man!"
Jian Xingsui then put down his movements, and he asked next to him, "How is it, does it feel better?"
Shen Xingchen found out after a while, "Hey, now that you're asking me, I do feel less tired than before!"
Jian Xingsui smiled and said, "That's good."
The three of them quickly set off to the rest stop, and while walking, Shen Xingchen said: "What kind of massage method do you use? Why is it so effective? Please teach me."
Jian Xingsui replied, "I learned this when I was at home before. My father and brothers were busy with work, so I taught myself from books and online courses."
Shen Xingchen tsk-ed, clearly disapproving, "I see that you still have this ability."
Jian Xingsui said proudly: "This is a unique secret recipe developed by myself, and others may not have that effect."
"Cheapskate." Shen Xingchen hammered him, clearly joking, "If you don't teach me, then I'll no longer be your big brother!"
Jian Xingsui pursed his lips and smiled happily.
Finally, their group reached the halfway point of the mountain.
The staff who had been waiting there for a long time said, "Congratulations for arriving here! Since you are the first group, you can get rewards. Now, all three of you can go to that hut over there to check your ranking in this selection. At the same time, you can choose to give your fans an interactive live broadcast for three minutes. We have already opened the live broadcast room."
The three were ecstatic.
They didn't expect it to be such a surprise.
Shen Xingchen said: "You two go first, I'm exhausted and don't have the energy to talk now."
Ning Ze was not in a hurry. He said to Jian Xingsui, "You go first, I'll have something to eat, I'm famished."
Jian Xingsui had nothing to do first, so he agreed with their suggestion. He obediently nodded and entered the hut.
The staff talked as he put an envelope on the table, "This is your ranking for this selection. Please turn on the live broadcast on your mobile phone in front of you after watching it, and interact with your fans for three minutes."
Jian Xingsui nodded in understanding, "Thank you."
There was an envelope on the table, and Jian Xingsui reached out then opened it. He won third place in the first selection. At the second stage, he used his original composition to let many audiences watch his brilliance. After finishing his performance, he also won the Popularity King voted by the audience. It could be said that he did his best to perform, and the feedback from the audience was also good. His ranking should rise, or at least stable at third.
When Jian Xingsui opened the envelope, he saw a line of words on the page: "Congratulations to Jian Xingsui! In this stage, your ranking is 15th. Congratulations on entering the final stage. Please continue to work hard."
...........
The youth sat there, completely silent as he stared at the paper for a long time.
The hard work he put in... every sleepless night he spent, every experience he suffered because of dancing practice, every drop of sweat he shed... seemed to turn into a joke on this piece of paper. This was his reward? For all of that?
The staff hesitated and said, "Suisui?"
Jian Xingsui quickly came back to his senses, and smiled: "Well, I've finished reading it. So, then I'll start the live broadcast."
When the staff saw his expression, they only stiffly nodded. Judging by their reaction... they probably guessed it just by observing Jian Xingsui.
They probably also understand some of the unspoken rules of the program group. Trainees who were not pre-casted in the debut position would not be able to succeed with just hard work. Money always spoke the loudest. Fanciful "hopes" and "dreams" were just a fleeting leaf, blown by the gust.
Reality and dreams were like heaven and earth. Jian Xingsui should stop being delusional about his future.
The staff hesitated and said, "Suisui, you... erm... you can tell the fans what you want to say. You can also solicit votes for yourself, and then you have to let the audience see your ranking in this stage."
Jian Xingsui nodded, and he clicked the "start live" button on the live broadcast app. As a participant who was always recorded by the live broadcast camera, this was his first time being able to see the live barrage.
After the audience saw that it was Jian Xingsui, many people were very excited:
[It's Suisui!]
[Wuwuwu, I stayed up late until almost three in the morning, and I finally saw you, baby...] [cute crying sounds]
[Although he is not my bias, I'm fine with this! Hello Suisui~]
Jian Xingsui bowed politely to everyone with a smile, and said, "Hi everyone, I'm Jian Xingsui, nice to meet you."
The live broadcast room was filled to the brim with comments. It was impossible for him to read it all.
Jian Xingsui handed out the card in his hand for everyone to see: "This is my ranking for this stage. I am very grateful for everyone's support for me. I will work hard in the future."
The audience could clearly read the words written on the paper.
Just as Jian Xingsui thought, they were shocked into speechlessness.
[Did I read it wrong???]
[Is it fifth or fifteen?]
[Why did his ranking drop so much?]
The fact that Jian Xingsui changed from third to fifteenth shocked the audience, including many neutral audiences and netizens. Not long ago, Jian Xingsui's ranking was still hovering in the top six debut positions, why did he suddenly drop to fifteenth today?
They weren't stupid. They actually have a guess they kept locked inside their heart. They just didn't dare to say it outloud, lest it offend the other party involved.
Many fans also began to leaving questions and comments on the screen:
[Is it really fifteen? Could it be that I got it wrong?]
[How is it possible, the fanclub has spent millions on voting tickets.]
["Why is it fifteen, my God... My friends and I even used our relatives' phone numbers to help with voting1it's implied, as it was the normal operation in China, that to have a legitimate vote, you need a verifiable Chinese phone number. And as for extra votes, you need to buy them with real money.!]
Jian Xingsui watched the barrage quietly for a while.
The staff next to him reminded him: "There are still two and a half minutes left, you are required to say something to the fans."
This was a very precious opportunity, after all. His ranking has dropped too much, so if he was smart, he should know how to mobilize the high emotions of his fans to canvass more votes to compete.
But the young man sitting on the chair has always been very calm. After taking a deep breath, Jian Xingsui smiled: "I am very grateful to everyone voting for me. From the depths of my heart, thank you. If possible, I would like to suggest... not waste your money on buying voting tickets for me. If you have extra spending money, use it for yourself. Go watch the new movies, buy a meal from a good restaurant, or something like that."
Jian Xingsui's unexpected words baffled the audience. However, he paid it no mind and continued, "Save the money to do more meaningful things. But still, thank you for liking me. If the lives of my fans are good, I too, will be happy. Very... very happy."
He knew this kind of ranking was inevitable. His agent has said so. Even Fu Jinxiao had indirectly implied it.
That one million yen Wang-ge always used to threaten him... it's clear to him that the debut position has already been pre-determined, even maybe since before the show started filming.
However, despite all the psychological preparation he had, he still felt wronged. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't.
The audience exploded:
[What are you talking about, Suisui??]
[Are you crazy!]
[It's not a waste of money, I am willing to do this!]
But the more the fans were like this, the sadder Jian Xingsui felt in his heart. He took a deep breath, not wanting to show any strangeness in front of the fans, so he did his best to continue in a softer voice, "If you have extra tickets in your hands, please use it to vote for Xingchen and Ning Ze instead. They are hardworking and excellent people. My dancing and singing are not very good, but both of them excelled at this. I hope everyone can support them."
He knew that he would leave "Starlight" soon.
Along the way, he received a lot of love and care from his friends. As the inevitable goodbye slowly closing in, he realized there was nothing he could do beside this. He could only help his friends to debut. At least for them, it was still possible.
After coming out of the cabin, Shen Xingchen and Ning Ze came over: "How is it, what is your ranking?"
Jian Xingsui smiled and said nothing, he was afraid of affecting the emotions of his friends.
Seeing the unusually silent Jian Xingsui, Shen Xingchen was panicking. He immediately thought of the worst case scenario. With a bated breath, he commanded, "You talk!"
"It's nothing, don't worry, I'm entering the final stage." Jian Xingsui said, "My exact ranking doesn't really matter, okay? Instead, you two should hurry up and interact with fans. It's time."
Shen Xingchen and Ning Ze looked at each other, but Ning Ze went first.
After he went in, Jian Xingsui and Shen Xingchen sat outside. The two of them didn't speak for a while. Jian Xingsui pretended to do something, in the stilted silence. However, he didn't understand why Shen Xingchen didn't speak at all.
The atmosphere became inexplicably tense.
All along, Jian Xingsui knew that Shen Xingchen was a carefree person. But this time, he was eerily silent. Although Shen Xingchen was always nervous, at this moment, he seemed to have guessed something.
With every meeting, there has to be a parting.
The time was near.
Perhaps soon, they would have to separate, and from then on, they would walk on two different paths. Maybe it would never converge, like two parallel lines, infinitely stretching, never towards the other.
Jian Xingsui tried to ease the atmosphere: "Do you still want to learn that acupuncture point? I'll teach you."
Shen Xingchen returned to his senses, and waited for Jian Xingsui to glance at him with a vicious stare.
Jian Xingsui innocently asked, as if nothing bad had happened, "Why? Is something the matter?"
The thing was, Shen Xingchen had spent quite a long time with Jian Xingsui. He precisely knew how the youth looked when he was desperately trying to avoid a topic. Once Shen Xingchen saw the fragile, glassy look in Jian Xingsui's eyes, he understood. In return, his own eyes also reddened.
Ah... sure enough, he guessed it.
Jian Xingsui continues to pretend the elephant in the room doesn't exist.
He sighed slightly in his heart: "Then don't learn."
Sometimes, things were just not meant to be said out loud.
Shen Xingchen snorted and lowered his head, "Teach me when you go back."
Jian Xingsui replied, "Okay."
"Forget it, when I go back, I want to practice dancing, how can I have time to learn another skill?" Shen Xingchen seemed to be deceiving himself.
Then, he got an idea. Now, he insisted on forcing Jian Xingsui to make a promise with him, "You will teach me after we debut together in a group."
"..."
A short silence was his response.
Shen Xingchen became impatient. He scolded with a hoarse voice, "Speak up!"
Jian Xingsui looked up at him. In fact, there was no need to speak. The two sides already understood the situation. Shen Xingchen himself was sent by Shen Minglang to participate in this variety show. At that time, his older brother was talking about tempering his arrogance and character. And maybe, after experiencing some partings and bad, unfair things in the world, the ignorant yet just young master would understand the cruel way of the world, and would no longer be so naive.
But......
Jian Xingsui looked at Shen Xingchen staring at his eyes, and suddenly felt a little soft-hearted. He smiled softly and nodded: "Yes, I will teach you."
Not long after, Ning Ze also came out.
The expression on his face was not very good either. Ning Ze was getting old, this was his last chance. If the result was not good, he might have to bid farewell to the stage forever.
Shen Xingchen stood up and said, "I'm going in."
Jian Xingsui told him, "Ask for extra votes from the fans. If your ranking is not low, you will compete for the center position."
Li Xu'an was his number one enemy, and he was committed to competing with him for the center position. The rankings of the two were also very close, and the competition was really fierce.
Shen Xingchen snorted lightly: "That's not up to you."
After entering the cabin, the staff handed him his stage ranking.
Shen Xingchen didn't answer.
The staff looked at him suspiciously, but heard Shen Xingchen say: "I want to know the ranking of Jian Xingsui and Ning Ze."
The staff had never encountered such a situation before, so he hesitated and said, "I can't tell you, everyone can only look at their own ranking."
"Okay." Shen Xingchen opened up his own ranking. He was ranked second this time. It's clear to him also, that the first place was either Anran or Li Xu'an. Since both of them were the people he hates, normally speaking, he must work hard to get votes and squeeze those two out of the first place in the final selection.
But when the live broadcast started, facing rows of the fan barrage, Shen Xingchen could only stare in a moment of silence.
After adjusting his mentality, he said: "Hello everyone, I am Shen Xingchen."
The audience was very excited:
[My Xing-baby! Mommy loves you!]
[You grew so big!]
[I vote for you every day.]
The bad-boy young master smirked, making his fangirls go crazy. With his rogue-ish appeal, he spoke, "Isn't it necessary to vote for me every day? That's just normal operation, you bad girl."
This young man was confident yet naive, childish yet had a wild appeal. His words always make people laugh or cry. He also was the type who knew what his fans like, so when he said those teasing words, his fans really appreciated it.
However, Shen Xingchen suppressed his smile a little. This young master who always ignored everything was looking at the live broadcast room seriously at this moment. He did not choose to canvass votes for himself to defeat his old enemy, but said, "Today, I'm here to solicit votes for my brothers, Jian Xingsui and Ning Ze. I don't know their rankings, but I hope that if you have extra votes in your hands, you can vote for them."
At the barrage, Shen Xingchen saw his fans give him Jian Xingsui's ranking spoiler. Seeing it, his eyes darkened.
It was the fifteenth place.
At the last minute, Shen Xingchen was a little anxious, "If you are my loyal fans... can you save the votes you originally wanted to use for me and give Jian Xingsui a little bit? No need to give me too high of a ranking. So long as I can debut together with the two of them, not getting first place is fine."
This was a little ancestor of young master who always put a lot of emphasis on winning or losing.
From childhood to adulthood, he has hardly experienced any setbacks and injustice. He has always had everything he wanted, and there was nothing he couldn't get. It was this kind of environment that created a fearless young master.
His family sent him away because they wanted him to hone his character.
And at this moment, the willful young master lost his original pride. He didn't have to win against Li Xu'an. He didn't need to have the highest ranking possible.
Shen Xingchen held the ranking card and took a deep breath. He said to the audience: "I'm counting on you, my people!"
There was a burst of laughter in the live broadcast room.
Jian Xingchen saw that many fans in the barrage had promised to help his brothers to vote for him. He also smiled, and made a clasped fist on the spot, and he almost missed the target with the audience. The depressed atmosphere before was completely turned into a funny scene.
However, what Shen Xingchen did not know now was that the injustice of reality was the first lesson this world taught him. And soon, the cruelty of reality would be the second lesson the world taught him.