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Considering the need for nutritional supplementation and rest, the company mandatorily arranged a half-hour fruit time every day.
The competition was so fierce, they were worried some kids might overdo it, practicing dance all night and risking their lives.
Although this resembled scheduling snack times for kindergartners, it also provided the boys with a completely legitimate reason to relax.
Mango, dragon fruit, grapefruit, everything was available, and they had to rest in the cafeteria for a full half-hour before leaving.
Everyone sat around several tables, peeling fruit, and started chatting as they ate.
One of the most common topics was “why they wanted to participate in this program.”
There were many with musical dreams, and many with various bizarre reasons—
For those like Fu Mingnian and Zhu Xizhi, who had practiced for many years, it goes without saying, and for Shi Jianian, Han Yang, and Bo Huan, who were professionally related, they were eating and listening to others’ stories, spit flying.
Bo Huan was delayed by a video call with his brother for ten minutes and by the time he arrived, the mangoes were gone, leaving only other fruits on the table.
He leaned next to Gu Shaochu, looking around somewhat disinterestedly.
“By the way, which department is Yuanqing from?”
“Mechanical Engineering,” Chen Yuanqing smiled faintly, “Doesn’t look like it, does it?”
At his first appearance, Chen Yuanqing wore Hanfu, distinctly different from others, and now dressed in modern shorts, still appearing refined and elegant.
He could play the bamboo flute and dance with a fan, indeed quite different from everyone else’s style.
Zhu Xizhi played with his bamboo fan for a while, flapping it to fan everyone.
Summer was approaching, and it was indeed convenient to carry a fan.
“Yuanqing seems quite suited to be a trainee,” Fu Mingnian laughed, “Good posture and voice, dance foundation, and can add a lot of unique vibes to the stage.”
“Actually,” Chen Yuanqing thought for a moment before speaking truthfully, “I joined the show to fill in for a friend.”
“Fill in?”
“A dormmate from university wanted to become famous, to be a star. He fell ill and was hospitalized a week before joining the group, so he asked me to negotiate with the production team on his behalf.”
“— Eh!!!”
Just then, the assistant director was present, noticed his distinct appearance from the others, and immediately after the interview persuaded him to join the group for a trial.
And so, he made it here without much peril, maintaining a high popularity throughout.
“Wouldn’t your dormmate be mad?” Bo Huan worriedly asked.
“No, he fell in love with the person in the next bed while hospitalized, and even said he’d treat me to a meal.” Chen Yuanqing chuckled, “I guess I was just lucky.”
Gu Shaochu glanced at Bo Huan, “Aren’t you going to take some vitamins?”
Bo Huan stayed put, “Not hungry, never mind.”
Chen Yuanqing casually sliced half a mango from his plate and handed it over, “Help me with this, I need to control my sugar intake.”
Ah—there’s mango now.
Bo Huan quickly wiped his hands and held the fruit, eating with great joy.
Gu Shaochu gave Chen Yuanqing a meaningful look.
“Now you’re hungry?”
Bo Huan nibbled on it bit by bit, not wanting to finish it immediately.
“This is from Brother Yuanqing.”
Zhu Xizhi caught on to something, turned his head, and whispered, “I really want to eat some mango again.”
Fu Mingnian glanced at the pile of golden peels in front of him.
“Reflect on why there wasn’t enough mango for you.”
Gu Shaochu had a whole mango on his plate.
He sipped some yogurt and pushed the mango forward.
“I’m allergic to this, don’t know who brought it over.”
Chen Yuanqing smiled and pressed his index finger to stop the fruit from rolling.
“What a coincidence, I wanted to take one back, Shaochu is so thoughtful.”
Gu Shaochu raised an eyebrow at him, “Not controlling your sugar intake now?”
Bo Huan held the half mango and watched them, taking the time to lick the sweet juice off his fingertips.
“Xiao Huan,” Chen Yuanqing smiled warmly, “who do you think Brother Shaochu likes more, you or me?”
Gu Shaochu pursed his lips, staring at him.
Zhu Xizhi suddenly exclaimed, “My jacket got splashed with so much juice, Fu Mingnian, how do I wash this!!”
Fu Mingnian: “…”
The first four days were for practice, and on the fifth day, the flying tutors officially parachuted in to take over and provide secondary guidance.
Xie Lianyun felt somewhat emotional when he saw Jiang Jue again. He wanted to reveal something but ultimately held back.
They greeted each other briefly and restrainedly, not mentioning the mutual friend buried deep in their memories.
Huo Ren and Pei Ruye were not in the recording building at the time, so assistant instructors guided them to different practice rooms for familiarization.
Jiang Jue went to the “Nightfire” group, while Xie Lianyun visited the “Cold Light” group.
Xie Lianyun was actually a bit afraid of seeing Pei Ruye.
Although he had switched to being a producer, teaching dance in front of Boss Pei was embarrassingly awkward.
Back in the day on the seventeenth floor, he and Bo Jue were almost turned into zebras by Pei’s rigorous training. Now, after being out of practice for who knows how long, he likely couldn’t match the agility of these young talents.
Despite feeling inwardly apprehensive, he maintained a cold façade.
Sure enough, his emotionless stride into the practice room made the trainees hold their breath in awe.
—He looks so formidable!! Truly the legend with a high EQ and IQ!!
Xie Lianyun scanned the room with a stern expression, convincing himself he had successfully masqueraded, and coldly stated, “I’m not here to teach dance.”
“Director Pei is one of the top dancers in the country. I hope you cherish your time with him.”
“My visit this time is to share experiences about the expression in your eyes while dancing.”
The trainees nodded uniformly, like marionettes.
Bo Huan couldn’t help but laugh.
Xie Lianyun only then noticed Bo Huan in the second row, almost breaking his cool demeanor, thinking he really should’ve gone to the next group.
Bo Huan, having returned to the country several times, was overly familiar with the six people from the seventeenth floor, having witnessed several of his explosive older brother’s rigorous training sessions with Xie Lianyun.
…Hold it together!!
“Let’s see a run-through first.”
Everyone nodded in understanding, a bit nervous as the music started.
Although they also revered Huo Ren, they had seen him on and off for two months.
Dancing his work in front of the original creator… this was practically a public execution!!!
Initially, Xie Lianyun wasn’t too confident, but after actually seeing the young talents perform, he breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn’t that he and Bo Jue didn’t dance well enough; it was that the other four teammates were simply too exceptional.
The intensity of Corona-level training was hellish, with the assessment standard set to Huo Ren’s level, leading to cognitive distortions over time.
But any one of them, taken individually, could easily outperform the current younger generation.
…After all, they were at the real skill level of OSC Crown winners.
After the performance, Xie Lianyun relaxed enough to cross his arms and begin explaining and correcting one by one, even performing a segment himself in front of them.
Every song related to the crown had been danced over a hundred times by him and his teammates, both on stage and in practice rooms, deeply ingrained in their muscle memory.
Halfway through the demonstration, the young trainees couldn’t help but burst into applause, but Xie Lianyun instinctively glanced outside the window.
He always felt the other five should be here.
They were supposed to be six, always together.
He adjusted his glasses and turned to continue pointing out inaccuracies in the students’ movements.
Whether it was incorrect posture, unstable lower limbs, or footsteps not keeping up with the pace.
The dances he had struggled with in the practice room until midnight had now become another piece of material to educate the younger generation.
“Next…”
Xie Lianyun took a step forward, his gaze landing on a smiling, swan-like figure.
Xie “Fox” momentarily regained his composure, his tone flat: “Your movement lacks strength, needs more practice.”
Then he moved on.
“Teacher Xie.” Bo Huan called out.
Xie Lianyun had already moved to the back, responding noncommittally with a hum.
“I didn’t quite understand, could you explain it again?”
Xie Lianyun thought, if I explain further, your brother will come at me with a knife, and simply said, “If you don’t understand, watch the video.”
The mood of the trainees fluctuated, now exploring the unsolved mystery of Corona.
Was Xie Lianyun’s relationship with Bo Jue good or not???
What does this attitude towards his brother imply??? Is it overly familiar or just dismissive???
And, Teacher Xie seems to have lost some weight again… that’s not scientifically sound…
After correcting the students in three rows, Xie Lianyun returned to the front, his gaze fixed on a poster on the back wall, ignoring a certain well-behaved kid still looking at him.
“Let’s return to the main topic.”
“The ultimate goal of a performance is to be seen by the audience and to be remembered.”
“If you opt for a mundane, routine performance, you’ll only be ignored and forgotten.”
“So in this line of work, just passing is equal to failing.”
“Direct human communication begins with the eyes.”
Leaning slightly forward, he finally looked at his temporary students.
“One common technique here is, you either become the most dangerous predator or the softest prey.”
The young trainees were somewhat taken aback.
“This is one of the primal instincts left in humans.”
Xie Lianyun removed his glasses, allowing the photographer to take a close-up of him.
He took a deep breath for a second and then reopened his eyes.
In an instant, his gaze became so sharp and piercing, almost like a long blade capable of slicing through everyone’s defenses.
Some people instinctively stepped back, yet their eyes were involuntarily drawn to him.
Xie Lianyun slowly closed his eyes, and after three seconds, opened them again.
This time, his fox-like eyes were veiled with a mist, vague and moist, tinged with tenderness.
The trainees were petrified on the spot.
What kind of magical ability is this!!!
So being an idol requires learning this kind of thing!!!
“In summary,” he put on his glasses and gestured, “practice in front of the mirror first.”
On the other side.
Jiang Jue entered the practice room, glancing at the still-playing “Nightfire” stage video.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Jiang Jue.”
He bowed slightly to the trainees with a light smile.
The young trainees hurriedly returned the gesture sincerely, feeling as if they were dreaming when they saw this year’s breakout young actor.
“Today, I’m here to teach you how to immerse yourself into a performance on stage using Method acting techniques.”