Page 45

"Oh, come on, what's so impressive about me?" Liang Zhisheng shrugged self-mockingly. "In the elders' eyes, I'm neglecting proper work. All that schooling went to waste."

"Because you stepped outside the conventional path by society's standards."

Although Lai Yudong didn't think choosing what parents saw as an iron rice bowl was wrong, not everyone had the courage to choose the unstable new path of being a content creator, nor could everyone make something of it. And wasn't becoming one of the hundred contestants on a survival show solely as a blogger a skill in itself?

Liang Zhisheng fell silent for a few seconds and stopped walking.

Their destination, room 707, was right in front of them.

Liang Zhisheng let out a long sigh and curved his lips into a casual smile. "You barely say anything, but you're pretty good at cheering people up."

Lai Yudong joked, "So will you vote for me?"

"Sure. Once I'm eliminated, you'll be the first person I vote for."

"I might go first."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Hurry up, shower, and go to sleep."

The next morning, at the first ring of his alarm, Lai Yudong, who had always been a light sleeper, opened his eyes. He lingered in bed for only two seconds before using sheer willpower to overcome his drowsiness, then, as promised, hauled Li Xu, a fellow victim of early classes, out of bed.

Li Xu sat on his bed holding his head for quite a while before drowsily climbing down from the top bunk. By then, Lai Yudong had already returned from the communal washroom. His bangs had accidentally gotten splashed when he washed his face, and a few damp strands clung to his skin, making him look especially fresh and clean.

"Should I wait for you?" Lai Yudong asked as he folded his blanket.

"No need." Li Xu yawned. "What time did you get back last night?"

"After four."

Li Xu: "..."

Was that a schedule a human being could keep?

Since his roommate had declined, Lai Yudong had no reason to stay. He quietly left the dorm room, where the curtains were drawn tight, and closed the door behind him.

As he had the day before, he had set his alarm half an hour early, but both the hallway and the cafeteria were noisier than yesterday. Aside from the few early-class students sealed away beneath their blankets, normal people wouldn't choose to go to class on an empty stomach.

Especially Class F, whose first class was dance, which took more physical energy.

The only surprise was that Su Junzhe greeted him, looking bright and energetic.

"Good morning~"

Lai Yudong, who was eating pumpkin porridge with a spoon, looked left and right. Not only was there no one else nearby who might have been the person Su Junzhe was greeting, but their eyes also met.

Shocked, he politely replied, "Morning."

For some reason, he felt touched, as though he had been acknowledged.

It was like when the

aloof

top student in class, who maintained nothing but superficial classmate relationships with everyone else, suddenly invited an obscure underachiever to walk home together after school. It really left him feeling flattered.

"How's your practice going?" Su Junzhe sat down across from him with his tray as though they were old friends. Only after taking a sip of his iced Americano did he seem to suddenly remember something. "Ah! Can I sit here?"

Lai Yudong looked at the chocolate-haired youth, who had clearly sat down first on purpose, and nodded calmly. "Sure."

He could already handle trainees he had interacted with before with ease.

Master and disciple

pair sticking together!]

[Sweet Susu is a polished little boy with his hair and makeup done today too~]

...Have they already decided we're master and disciple?

Lai Yudong put down his spoon and answered the original question honestly. "I can just about make it through the dance without the music."

"Then you're not familiar enough with it. You'll just have to practice more." Su Junzhe winked slyly and lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear. "That's enough to get through the professional class. By Class F's standards, he might even praise you."

Lai Yudong was skeptical. "Really?"

"Really." Su Junzhe stirred his fruit salad. "Trust my experience~"

[What are those two whispering about?]

[What could there possibly be that we noble fans can't hear!]

[Susu and Yuzu seem to have gotten closer]

[I smell a friendship storyline]

Of course a top student and someone at the bottom of the class had to exchange tips on getting through a teacher's class in secret.

Lai Yudong could more or less guess what Su Junzhe was thinking. Rather than saying their relationship had improved, it was more that Su Junzhe liked people who worked hard and took things seriously. If Zhou Rui had been here, he would have treated him the same way he treated Lai Yudong.

Unfortunately, Zhou Rui was in Class C, which had no early class.

...Wait, didn't Class A's class start at ten thirty too?

Why was Su Junzhe in the cafeteria? Didn't he sleep? Or had he gotten the time wrong?

Faced with Lai Yudong's questions, Su Junzhe answered with a smile, "I got up early to reinforce what I practiced yesterday, so I can go to class in my best condition. Besides, my body clock is set, so I can't sleep even if I want to."

[So self-disciplined]

[Getting up early to reinforce what he learned... oh my god, a real study god...]

[That's why Susu was one of only two people the dance teacher praised!]

Lai Yudong admired him so much he prostrated himself, completely forgetting that the only difference between them was that one did it in the morning and the other in the small hours.

He had only one thought in his head—

Getting up early to reinforce what you've learned is worth emulating.

The professional class that followed went just as Su Junzhe had predicted.

Teacher Cao Yan divided the Class F trainees into groups and checked how well they knew the theme song in the form of a dance relay. After all forty-two trainees had danced in turn, over ninety percent received his cold, harsh criticism. Only three escaped unscathed.

Lai Yudong was one of that rare trio; the other two were Wang Yiwen and Pei Lan.

Unlike yesterday, this time he received not roundabout praise disguised as criticism, but genuine, straightforward praise.

"Miura Yuki."

Cao Yan held the profiles of all the Class F students. When he turned to Miura Yuki's page, a look of realization appeared on his face. "I remember now. You're the one the director brought in at the last minute to replace a contestant who withdrew, right? You're very familiar with the choreography, and your timing is much better too. For someone starting from zero, reaching this level is very good. You put in a lot of hard work after we finished yesterday, didn't you? Keep it up and aim for a promotion."