Theme Song (Three-in-One VIP Release) (Continued)

—His prediction was right.

Lai Yudong knew nothing about dance, but in some respects, it had things in common with broadcasting and hosting.

For example, during an impromptu commentary in an arts entrance exam, forgetting your lines and getting stuck was never a reason to stop outright. Staring helplessly at the examiners was a major taboo; you had to recover with a few tricks and some quick thinking on the spot.

Cao Yan continued to scold them. "Keep this up, and you'll only stay in Class F at the next evaluation. Do you think it doesn't matter if you can't learn it because Class F won't have to go onstage for the recording anyway? You haven't even debuted yet, and you're already throwing away opportunities. Do you know how many trainees couldn't even get one of the 101 spots on this show!?"

"..."

Everyone fell silent.

[This takes me right back to my high school homeroom teacher lecturing us]

[Several of the younger guys were scolded into tears...]

[Tsk, tsk, they actually have the nerve to cry after dancing like that? Such weak mental fortitude]

[Go easy on them, the younger guys have weak foundations]

[Who in Class F doesn't have a weak foundation? Why could some people dance all the way through while others barely danced at all?]

[Even if you tossed Zhao Yifeng into Class F, he'd rank above average]

Lai Yudong was dumbfounded.

In the blink of an eye, the atmosphere in the bullet comments had turned tense, as if an argument might break out the next second and get blocked by green mode.

"Wang Yiwen." Cao Yan suddenly called out a name, startling its owner. "Don't let other people influence you. If you think you're right, keep dancing."

Wang Yiwen froze for a moment before belatedly realizing this was an indirect acknowledgment of his performance. "Yes!"

"Pei Lan, long arms and legs look great when you dance, but if you can't loosen up your movements, you'll look clumsier than everyone else."

"Yes."

"Liu Qichu, pay more attention to the details. You only got the general idea of many movements, and you simplified the choreography too."

"Understood. Thank you, teacher!"

"Miura Yuki."

A name that was both familiar and unfamiliar suddenly reached his ears. Lai Yudong looked at the dance teacher in surprise, not expecting to be included in this part.

He felt a little nervous alongside his anticipation, afraid he would be subjected to a blistering scolding.

Cao Yan said coolly, "You pick up the moves quickly. The second half needs work. If you can't find the beat, practice more."

"Thank you, teacher."

The mixed review made Lai Yudong breathe a small sigh of relief, and a sense of joy at being acknowledged welled up in him.

Criticism was inevitable, and he didn't mind it, but even a little praise proved that his efforts had meaning.

[I get it now. The ones he singled out are the decent ones]

[Picking a general from among the shorties]

[If anyone from Class F debuts, the group is finished]

[You're overthinking it. Whether a group blows up has never depended on skill]

"That's all for today's lesson. Class dismissed."

After announcing the end of class, Cao Yan left the practice room. For a long time, no one followed him out. Everyone tacitly bent their heads and practiced hard; even Su Junzhe, who disliked practicing with a crowd, obediently stayed put.

Anyone who foolishly ran out at a time like this either had too much personality or couldn't read the room.

Aside from scattered footsteps, quiet requests for guidance kept sounding all around.

Before long, many small teaching circles had formed in the room, each centered on a trainee who was good at dancing.

Lai Yudong thickened his skin and went to sit in on the lessons. His first stop was Jin Xiheng from Class A.

As a dance teacher, Jin Xiheng's teaching methods were similar to Cao Yan's, though his style was gentler. But a drawback soon emerged: his reputation was so great that too many trainees had come to sit in on his lesson. Not only was it just as hard as in the main class to keep track of everyone's progress, but he was also teaching from the beginning.

Lai Yudong had already learned the opening choreography in detail twice, so there was no need to take another lesson breaking it down.

Time was tight, and he needed to prescribe the right medicine efficiently.

With that in mind, Lai Yudong decisively chose to switch classes. Just as he was looking for his next teacher, Zhou Rui from Class C happened to emerge from the back row.

"Zhou Rui!" Lai Yudong hurriedly called out to him.

The grayish-brown-haired youth turned around in confusion. "Are you calling me?"

"Yeah."

One aftereffect of practicing dance for so long was that he had nearly forgotten his own identity. Fortunately, Lai Yudong realized in time that he was initiating a conversation with a stranger.

So, after brimming with enthusiasm one second, he switched to overseas contestant mode the next, words popping out of his mouth one at a time. "This morning, thank you."

"This morning?"

"Reminding me of the time."

"Pfft, I'd almost forgotten until you mentioned it." Zhou Rui couldn't help laughing. "I just mentioned it in passing. Nothing to thank me for."

He glanced at the large group practicing behind him. "Aren't you learning anymore?"

Lai Yudong said frankly, "Not suitable."

"What a coincidence, me neither. Teacher Jin's pace is too slow. It's suited to people who couldn't keep up with the main class and need to learn from scratch, so I wanted to sit in on some other lessons." Zhou Rui naturally invited him along. "How about we go together?"

"Okay."

An angelic guide had delivered himself right to his door; Lai Yudong had no reason to refuse. He could also take the opportunity to make a friend who had left him with a good impression.

In the closed-off recording environment, maintaining good relationships was never a bad thing.

Having hit it off, they set out on their lesson-hopping journey.

The two first went to the nearby small class run by Jiang Yangfan from Class B. After watching for a while, they concluded that it was better suited to people who, like him, weren't good at remembering moves. The pace was even slower than Jin Xiheng's.

Their next stop was the small class run by Qu Xincheng from Class B. He was a kindhearted beauty and a thoroughly nice guy, correcting people one-on-one and explaining everything in great detail. Although they both needed a conscientious teacher like him, with more than a dozen people there, who knew what year of the monkey it would be before he finished correcting them all? They decided not to add to his workload.

Those were still fairly good; the teaching methods simply weren't suitable.

They approached some circles only to find people chatting, while others practiced for one minute and rested for five. Cao Yan's lecture seemed to have gone in one ear and out the other. Their lackadaisical attitude made it utterly baffling what they had come here to do.