The afternoon training was still a dance class. An Xumo had already switched to a new dance instructor and was currently practicing a solo dance routine. He had excellent perception, outstanding coordination, and a strong sense of rhythm. Combined with his diligent and hardworking attitude, it took only a few days for his new instructor to give him the same evaluation as his previous coach, Brother Li.
An Xumo had been signed with Jin Dian for less than a year. Among the many trainees, he was no longer considered the youngest. However, in terms of progress and results, he was undoubtedly one of the most outstanding among the thousands of trainees. The other top performers at his level had already been training for three to four years and were internally designated as leaders of upcoming groups. An Xumo was the only exception—his rapid improvement outpaced the team’s integration process, which was why Tang Tang had singled him out.
Both dance and vocal training required long hours of relentless practice. The effortless performances seen on stage were backed by countless days and nights of sweat and hard work. For an artist, perseverance was an essential skill. Since Jin Dian began expanding its market into the younger generation, thousands of people have signed up as trainees each week. Appearance was merely the first step of the selection process—the real, ruthless elimination process happened silently in the daily training sessions.
Trainees at Jin Dian typically went through six stages of training, but after just the first stage, fewer than 10% chose to continue.
Those who made it to the end had endured grueling training that outsiders could hardly imagine. Yet, as in many fields, hard work only raised the lower limit. The true upper limit was determined by something beyond human control—talent.
An Xumo’s diligence was undeniable, but the praise he received was largely due to his natural talent.
An Xumo was like a pearl, still encased in its shell, but those with discerning eyes had already caught a glimpse of its brilliance.
The training areas at Jin Dian were clustered together, with all the dance studios on the same floor. After thanking his instructor, An Xumo took a quick shower and left the dance studio while thinking about what to eat for dinner. The hallway was filled with other trainees who had just finished their classes. As he walked alone, his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. Reaching for it, he was surprised to find that it was his personal phone.
The name on the screen made him freeze for a moment. He stopped in his tracks, rubbed his palm twice against his pants, and only then did An Xumo carefully swiped to answer the call.
“Hello…?”
Before the voice on the other end could come through, An Xumo was suddenly hit by a force from behind. He staggered, barely managing to grab onto a nearby door to keep from falling. Startled, he turned around, but before he could react, a group of people shoved him straight into the room next to him.
“Wu…!”
With a loud “thud,” An Xumo was forcefully thrown onto the wooden floor. A dull groan escaped his lips from the pain, and his phone slipped from his grasp, skidding half a meter away.
“Yo, our big star took a fall. So careless when walking ah.”
A voice dripping with sarcasm rang out. Supporting himself with his arms, An Xumo looked up. “…Lu Yingtu?”
There were a total of seven people who followed him into the room, with the last one even reaching back to shut the door to the unused dance studio. An Xumo glanced around and immediately recognized them—they were the trainees who had been waiting for Han Ming in the hall that day. Their expressions were anything but restrained; their stance made it clear they had no good intentions.
Lu Yingtu let out a laugh. “How unexpected ah, our big star still remembers my name. I’m truly flattered.”
An Xumo frowned slightly, not quite understanding. “Do you need something?”
Lu Yingtu scoffed and sneered, “Oh, drop the act. Playing like a white lotus really suits you. Why bother practicing dance at all ah? Why don’t you just go straight into acting?”
Someone behind him chimed in, “Exactly. Taking advantage once was bad enough, but twice? And you always put on that helpless look. You use this trick in front of Han Ming too, don’t you?”
A brown-haired boy standing nearby clapped his hands. “Enough talking nonsense. Let’s just beat him up first and vent some steam.”
At his words, the group immediately pulled out several batons from under the mats in the corner. This was obviously premeditated—both the location and the tools were already prepared.
An Xumo tried to get up from the floor, but Lu Yingtu kicked him hard in the chest. His body scr4p3d against the wooden floor, the harsh friction producing an ear-piercing sound that made the scene even more unnerving.
But to the seven people in the room, that sound was music to their ears. Each of them now held a baton in hand, surrounding An Xumo in the center.
Lu Yingtu had already raised his baton, and just as the thick wooden stick was about to come down, a loud crash suddenly echoed through the room.
“Who?!”
Startled, the group frantically looked around, but the dance studio was empty except for them. After scanning the room nervously, someone finally shouted, “Over there!”
The fallen phone nearby was still glowing, its screen displaying an ongoing call. When it had been thrown earlier, it had accidentally hit the speaker button, allowing all the sounds in the room to be transmitted clearly. A deep male voice now rang out, amplified for everyone to hear.
“Who are you?”
Due to the speaker distortion, the voice sounded somewhat altered. The brown-haired boy closest to the phone bent down to pick it up, and on the screen, two glaringly obvious words were displayed: “Big Brother.”
An Xumo’s situation was well-known among the trainees. During their intensive training camps in the outskirts, where they were completely cut off from the outside world, everyone else had family or friends eagerly picking them up during the rare holiday breaks. Only An Xumo—every single time—had no one come for him.
He wouldn’t even go home, choosing instead to stay alone at the training camp, spending the entire holiday by himself.
Given that, no one believed An Xumo’s family cared about him. As for this so-called big brother who had suddenly appeared, he wasn’t any threat to them. A trainee’s family wouldn’t have much influence—if this person were really powerful, An Xumo wouldn’t still be here struggling as a trainee.
Lu Yingtu chuckled, deliberately softening his tone as he spoke into the phone in the brown-haired boy’s hand. “Ah, big bro, we’re actually Xiao An’s good friends. Just having a little heart-to-heart, you know? No need to worry ah.”
The others burst into laughter, intentionally playing along. “That’s right.”
“Just bonding a little~”
Their taunts had barely ended when An Xumo—who had been silent all this time—suddenly lunged forward from his kneeling position. With all his strength, he threw a vicious punch straight into Lu Yingtu’s face!
“Ah!!”
Caught off guard, Lu Yingtu let out a pained cry. Clutching his now-swollen cheek, he glared at An Xumo with rage, gritting his teeth as he yelled, “You actually dared to hit me?! Laozi will fvcking kill you! Go, beat him up for me!”
The others, momentarily stunned, snapped back to their senses at Lu Yingtu’s shout and quickly raised their batons again. An Xumo was already on the thin side, exhausted from a full day of training, and hadn’t eaten enough. He lacked both strength and fighting skills. His earlier punch had only landed because he had taken them by surprise. Now, surrounded by six or seven peers, he had no chance to fight back.
A baton whistled through the air before striking hard against his thin back. An Xumo grunted in pain, biting down to suppress the cry threatening to escape. But before he could, a bang suddenly echoed through the room.
This time, it wasn’t from the phone’s speaker. The dance studio door had been forcefully pushed open, and the person standing at the entrance, taking in the scene inside, shouted sharply, “What are you all doing?!”
The seven trainees holding batons panicked as soon as they saw who it was. “Sis-Sister Chen…”
Standing in the doorway was Chen Li, the manager responsible for the eleven trainees, including them. Unlike Tang Tang, Chen Li was notorious for her fiery temper. Since she managed trainees who hadn’t debuted yet, those under her were deeply afraid of her. Even someone like Lu Yingtu, who was used to sweet-talking and arrogance, wouldn’t dare raise his voice in front of her.
Dressed in a sleek professional skirt, Chen Li strode into the dance studio, her high heels clicking against the floor with each step. The sound made the group’s faces turn even paler. But what truly terrified them was that Chen Li wasn’t alone. Behind her, another person stepped inside. A tall figure, instantly recognizable—
Surprisingly, it was Han Ming, the very person they had been talking about just moments ago!
“Drop those batons, now!” Chen Li snapped harshly. Only when the seven of them timidly stepped back into a line did she release her grip on the phone in her right hand. Then, in a sudden shift to a much gentler tone, she spoke into it, “Hello, Director Xin, I’m here now. Ai, yes, yes. Don’t worry, I will handle this matter seriously.”
The trainees were still frozen in shock at seeing Han Ming. But before they could even recover, Chen Li’s uncharacteristically respectful tone sent another wave of panic through them.
Director Xin. Xin. How many directors at Jin Dian had the surname Xin?
They were still clinging to a last shred of hope when Chen Li spoke again, “Director Xin, I’ll have to trouble you to put in a good word with Brother Zhou about this matter. I will definitely…”
Before she could finish, the person on the other end seemed to have changed. Chen Li’s tone immediately became even more respectful. “Brother Zhou. Ai, you’re with Director Xin? Yes, it’s me, Chen Li. Don’t worry, I will handle this properly…”
Apart from Chen Li’s voice, the entire room had fallen into dead silence. The seven trainees turned pale, staring in disbelief at Chen Li, who was nodding repeatedly as she spoke. Han Ming had also stepped inside by now. He walked over to An Xumo, who was still kneeling on the floor and reached out to pull him up.
“Are you alright?”
The author has something to say:
Next chapter: Mealtime! Mwah~
Han Ming was just passing by, and Chen Li was called in as reinforcements. But the details will have to wait for the next part—anyway, this time, our clever and courageous Mr. Zhou successfully carried out the rescue mission~
And in the next chapter, An Xiao Mo can finally enjoy a big feast~
Happy New Year, everyone! Looking forward to your comments on the new chapter~ (≧▽≦)/~
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