Chapter 7

Even after Wei Jingbo left, Ji Changyin didn’t move away from Xu Chaomu.

She’d realized it felt nice leaning against her.

Xu Chaomu lowered her voice. “What’s going on between you and him?”

She hadn’t wanted to ask. She wasn’t someone who liked to gossip.

But there was something very strange about the way Ji Changyin and Wei Jingbo acted around each other.

“I don’t like him anymore. That’s all. There’s nothing between us.” Ji Changyin patted Xu Chaomu on the shoulder. “When you look for a partner, keep your eyes open. Don’t go near terrible men.”

Xu Chaomu nodded, though she hadn’t been interested in anyone so far.

As her fans put it, Xu Chaomu was married to her work. She practically lived on set.

Their intensive practice ended five days before filming began. Xu Chaomu had gone off to work partway through, but she still made sure Ji Changyin kept practicing.

In just one month, Ji Changyin’s admiration for Xu Chaomu had climbed another notch.

With that much talent and dedication, Xu Chaomu was bound for the top. If she didn’t make it there, the heavens were blind.

Thanks to Xu Chaomu, Ji Changyin had lost another five and a half pounds that month.

“Teacher Xu, thank you for all your guidance and encouragement this past month.” Ji Changyin personally saw her off at the airport. She didn’t even get out of the car. “See you in five days. I’ll miss you.”

“Oh, I’m so sad to see you go.”

Xu Chaomu studied Ji Changyin for a moment. “If you want to laugh, just laugh. Doesn’t it hurt to hold it in?”

“It does… No, I’m sad because I have to say goodbye to Teacher Xu.”

Xu Chaomu gave her a look that said she didn’t know what to make of her, then got out of the car.

“See you, Teacher Xu!”

Xu Chaomu waved.

As soon as the car door shut, Ji Changyin slumped across the seat and burst out laughing.

Zhao Xi, who was driving, looked exasperated.

“Take a look at Xu Chaomu, then take a look at yourself.” Zhao Xi glanced at Ji Changyin in the rearview mirror. Maybe it was her imagination, but her artist seemed to be getting more and more unruly. Ever since she’d announced she was no longer interested in Wei Jingbo, she’d completely let loose.

But maybe that was a good thing. Zhao Xi looked at Ji Changyin again. At least she smiled every day now. Before, Ji Changyin would often hide somewhere and cry. It had been painful to watch.

Over the next few days, Ji Changyin went back to being a slacker. Since filming was coming up, she had to arrive in City F two days early. Dream Chaser 101 was produced by Lemon Video, a famously wealthy platform. With this year’s guests either famous or backed by major investors, Lemon Video had made the guest rooms at the training center feel downright luxurious. Each guest had a suite. They weren’t especially large, but they had everything a person could need.

Photos of the trainees’ dorms for Dream Chaser had already been released before filming. Four trainees shared a room, and each room had a different design. The dorms had trended for a whole day.

Ji Changyin was satisfied with her accommodations.

Since she was the least busy, she was the first to arrive. The production schedule had been sent to her ahead of time, and she’d already read through it. With time to spare, she wandered around the training center.

The trainees had arrived a week earlier. They were practicing their initial evaluation performances on their own and had other filming tasks as well.

As Ji Changyin walked past, she heard singing coming from room after room.

Some of it sounded pretty good. Some of it was painful to listen to. She guessed the show’s sound engineers must be well paid.

She took a sip of water and gently pushed open a door. The music inside was loud, and nobody noticed her. They were clearly practicing hard.

It was a six-person group. Their performance was fiery and explosive. They were a little out of sync, but otherwise, it was good.

“Ji Changyin.”

Ji Changyin had just lifted her cup to take another sip when the voice nearly made her choke. The people inside finally noticed her. She smiled at them and closed the door.

“Teacher Xu, why are you trying to scare me?”

“Come on. Let’s practice. Filming starts the day after tomorrow.”

Ji Changyin: So, somehow, she wasn’t surprised at all.

At least this time, Xu Chaomu only made them run through the routine five times.

Ji Changyin: Somehow, I was already saying “only” before “five times.”

This was the first variety show either the original Ji Changyin or the current one had filmed. She and Xu Chaomu also had to serve as hosts. Though the show didn’t have many segments that needed hosting, Ji Changyin looked calm on the outside while panicking on the inside.

Ji Changyin and Xu Chaomu’s performance came last among the five acts.

They both wore short skirts, one in black and one in white. They waited backstage, ready to rise onto the stage on a lift.

“Nervous?” Xu Chaomu asked.

Ji Changyin nodded. Xu Chaomu took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“It’s okay. We can do it over as many times as we need.”

Ji Changyin: …

Ji Changyin glanced at Xu Chaomu. Her serious expression didn’t look like she was teasing.

“Mm. Hopefully we get it right on the first try.”

It was their turn.

Ji Changyin and Xu Chaomu stood on the lift, listening to the trainees scream from the other side.

The lights shone down on them. They’d planned to dance, but in the end, they added singing, too.

When Ji Changyin heard Xu Chaomu start to sing, her heart settled. She threw herself into the performance.

They’d practiced so many times that every lyric and movement had become instinct. Everything around them seemed to vanish. All that remained was the music and the person in front of her.

Ji Changyin wrapped an arm around Xu Chaomu’s waist. Her palm was hot. Xu Chaomu’s waist was slender and soft.

They’d worn more clothes during practice, so Ji Changyin hadn’t noticed it before. Now the sensation was unmistakable.

Ji Changyin lowered her eyes. Their gazes met, and she gave a slight smile.

The music faded. The trainees’ screams drowned out the last notes.

Ji Changyin let go of Xu Chaomu’s waist and rubbed her fingers together.

They introduced the competition format and rules, then returned to their seats. They sat apart from the four mentors, though not far away.

The format wasn’t much different from the previous season. The trainees were divided among classes A, B, C, and F. Class A was capped at eleven members, matching the number of debut spots. The other classes had no limit. In the end, debut spots would go to whoever received the most votes from fans.

There were 101 trainees and more than thirty performances. Watching them all was going to take a very long time.

Ji Changyin glanced at the drinks provided by the sponsors. At least they had one she liked.

The first group came onstage soon after.

Ji Changyin crossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand.

Their performance was average. Nothing stood out, but there were no major mistakes, either. By the time it was over, she couldn’t remember any of the four trainees. She looked sideways at Xu Chaomu, who was frowning slightly.

Ji Changyin had forgotten that Xu Chaomu was exceptionally strict. This performance definitely hadn’t met her standards.

Sure enough, when they discussed the results, Xu Chaomu suggested sending all four trainees to class F.

Ji Changyin leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I watched them yesterday. If this level gets sent to class F, I think we’ll need to add a class Z.”

Xu Chaomu looked at her and was quiet for a few seconds. “Are you joking?”

She couldn’t believe there was a performance worse than that one.

In the end, they sent the four trainees to class C.

As it turned out, Ji Changyin had been right. The second group’s performance was an absolute train wreck.

During the three-minute performance, Xu Chaomu changed positions three times.

Ji Changyin quietly unscrewed a bottle of water and set it in front of Xu Chaomu.

Xu Chaomu picked it up, took a sip, and pressed her lips together.

The mentors criticized the second group from beginning to end. Xu Chaomu couldn’t hold back, either.

Ji Changyin could tell from the three trainees’ hopeful expressions that they were about to be disappointed.

She really didn’t understand why everyone thought Xu Chaomu was gentle. She was gentle, sure—but when it came to work, she was a different person.

As expected, the three trainees were nearly in tears by the time Xu Chaomu finished. She was more specific than the other four mentors, and her expressionless face was especially intimidating.

“Why are you crying? What’s there to cry about? Do you feel wronged?” Xu Chaomu looked at them. “You said you’d studied dance for ten years, and this is what you came up with? Ji Changyin had never studied dance before, and after one month, she could do a decent job. Are you sure you practiced hard?”

Ji Changyin: …

Why am I getting called out when I haven’t said a word?

“Actually, I studied tango.”

Xu Chaomu glanced at Ji Changyin and paused for a few seconds. “From the looks of it, you might as well not have.”

Ji Changyin took a sip of water. “They were probably scared by your expression. The way you’re looking at me is making me want to cry, too. Teacher Xu, let them go for now. We’ve still got a lot more performances to watch. If one act gets you this worked up, what are you going to do later?”

She pushed the water closer to Xu Chaomu.

“Here, Teacher Xu. Have a drink.”