Chapter 5

Heard on its own, the remark sounded like a provocation, but judging by Qiao Huan's expression, it looked every bit like a top student sincerely seeking knowledge from a teacher.

Everyone turned to look at Shi Xingzhou again.

Shi Xingzhou had originally wanted to bring up middle school, hinting that Qiao Huan had a connection to him so the other trainees would gang up on Qiao Huan.

Who would have thought he'd picked up a rock only to drop it on his own foot? Qiao Huan actually had a graduation group photo from middle school!

Wasn't he implying between the lines that Shi Xingzhou had gotten plastic surgery?

What made it most infuriating was that it was true.

But the trainees were all watching him, the admiration and envy in their eyes gradually turning into doubt...

Shi Xingzhou could only offer an apologetic smile and answer hastily, "I... wasn't there for the graduation photo. Maybe we both remembered wrong."

"You weren't there for the graduation photo?" Qiao Huan assumed a thoughtful look. "Could it be that you didn't graduate..."

"That's enough!" Pei Dahai interrupted immediately.

The crown prince was in trouble. How could his chief steward stand by and do nothing?

He immediately put his mind to work and beckoned toward the door.

"Dahai-ge, we're coming in too, then?" With that, five people in brightly colored clothes walked in.

At once, everyone put Shi Xingzhou and Qiao Huan's conversation out of mind.

The newcomers were none other than Star Radiance's second-generation group, UPE!

UPE, the second-generation group that had made history countless times!!!

"All right, all right, I know you're excited to see your idols." Pei Dahai waved his hand. "I don't need to introduce these gentlemen, do I? They'll be your teachers from now on. You'll have to meet their standards to continue your training."

UPE was known as the boy group with the strongest actual skills of all time. Almost every member had reached the pinnacle of their respective specialty, but they had all passed thirty now; otherwise, they wouldn't have been content to step back from the spotlight.

Earning their approval would be even more exciting than debuting outright!

As all the trainees whispered among themselves in shock, Zhuo Yang quietly lowered his hand too.

His mission was to uncover the true cause of his old captain's daughter's death, and the group she had followed while she was alive was UPE.

Before the trainees had finished talking, a middle-aged man with a ramrod-straight back walked in.

While everyone was still wondering who he was, UPE immediately bowed ninety degrees and greeted him, and the trainees hurriedly followed suit.

"This is Star Radiance's prized treasure, Mr. Tao Zhenting, your future instructor—your homeroom teacher," Pei Dahai introduced him. "He previously worked in a military arts troupe."

"Hello, everyone." Tao Zhenting's greeting was brief and powerful.

The trainees sensed an imposing presence that commanded respect without anger. Their joy at seeing UPE vanished, and they all fell silent like little chicks.

At the same time, Ye Yiwei quietly lowered his hand too.

Tao Zhenting was the target of his mission this time. He had gone undercover to find out whether the retired instructor had any income from gray-area dealings.

Beside him, Bai Jike lowered his hand as well.

It wasn't because his target was among these people. He simply felt it was too awkward to be the only one still raising his hand.

Pei Dahai noticed that the three had stopped raising their hands, but he didn't call them out. Sure enough, these people take their lead from Qiao Huan.

But among trainees, how many brotherly bonds were real? In the end, wouldn't they still tear into each other when the time came?

Just wait and see.

"Don't think everything will be smooth sailing just because you have a star-studded lineup," Pei Dahai said sternly. "We'll eliminate the lowest-ranked trainees, and a single vote can veto you. As soon as the instructor or I decide you're not qualified, you'll pack your bags and leave."

"Mind you, by leave, I don't mean going back to being comfortable trainees. I mean having your contracts with Star Radiance terminated on the spot!"

The trainees grew even more nervous.

UPE's leader snorted, open disdain and mockery appearing on his exquisite face. "You can't even handle this little bit of pressure? Then I don't think any of you deserve to debut."

"Indeed. We watched your audition videos earlier, and apart from a few of you having some talent..." UPE's lead vocalist looked even colder. "All of you are, excuse my bluntness, trash."

The trainees in the room were only in their teens. Now they all began to tremble, feeling that if they failed to train well, their lives would be over.

Except for Qiao Huan and his three companions.

The four were each contemplating their missions, calm and composed.

After all, they were elite soldiers handpicked from countless people, and they had undergone hundreds of training sessions that challenged the limits of human endurance. This little bit of PUA talk... really wasn't anything to fear.

"I hope you'll seize this opportunity and practice hard. Star Radiance doesn't keep idlers around," Shi Xingzhou concluded, giving Qiao Huan a subtle glance. "The first assessment is tonight. Please choose one of three areas—vocal, dance, or rap—and find the appropriate UPE senior to assess you. Good luck."

This time, the four did get a little nervous.

If they were eliminated right away, wouldn't their undercover plan fail on the spot?

Before entering his assigned dorm room, Qiao Huan engaged in a few superstitious acts that went against the principles of a public servant for the first time in his life.

He prayed that his roommates would all be normal.

It was fine if they weren't, but at least they shouldn't drag him down in his mission.

However—

Crouching Dragon, Fledgling Phoenix.

"Let me explain first. I only ran out that night because I wanted to go for a night run. I thought you were doing the same," Zhuo Yang said as soon as Qiao Huan entered. "It wasn't because I wanted to stand out, like people online said..."

"I was trying to run away," Ye Yiwei said next, his voice cool. "I don't like lipstick endorsements."

Then Zhuo Yang and Ye Yiwei both looked at Qiao Huan.

Qiao Huan: "Ah."

Sure enough, praying to the gods was no good.

"How should I put it?" Qiao Huan felt he had to offer an explanation at this point, so he thought for a moment. "I was starving that night. I was afraid you'd fight me for the convenience store's boxed meals."

The three each nodded.

The point of some explanations... was probably just to have an explanation.

Qiao Huan said, "Hey, let's talk about something else. Which area are you planning to choose?"

The four fell silent again.

This was what Qiao Huan was thinking: he had to make sure he wasn't eliminated, but he also couldn't stand out so much that he ended up debuting. So the safest option was to find a weakling to come in last.

And it had to be a weakling in the same area.

As it happened, Zhuo Yang, Ye Yiwei, and Bai Jike were thinking the same thing.

An awkward silence settled over the room.

"Yo-ho, my favorite shura field brothers!"

A familiar, guileless voice broke the awkward silence.

Jiang Renbao stood at the door of Dorm 404, laden with bags.

"What? Stunned?" Jiang Renbao took off his sunglasses. "It's me, the undercover agent who slept with you!"

Qiao Huan's brain crashed on the spot.

Once again, praying to gods and Buddhas was no good!

Jiang Renbao explained without waiting for a response, "My dad is on good terms with Star Radiance's president, so I begged him to get me in here to learn some real skills. And you just happen to have an internal selection project for OSOK, so how could I miss out? I was the one who asked Dahai-ge to put you four in the same room!"

The four: "..."

So it was you.

It was actually you?!

Ye Yiwei said coolly, "Is there a bed for you in a four-person room?"

"I brought a camp bed!" Jiang Renbao smiled earnestly. "I'll sleep next to Qiao Huan-ge tonight, Zhuo Yang-ge tomorrow, and take turns with everyone!"

After saying that, he sensed something was off about the atmosphere and hurriedly tried to make up for it. "I'm not here to break you up. I'm here to join you!"

Silence.

Silence was Dorm 404 tonight.

Qiao Huan took a moment to recover before summoning the courage to ask, "So, are you going to attend classes and train with us?"

"Yeah, and I'll be eliminated if I don't do well!"

Qiao Huan: "!"

In a flash, the four suddenly asked in unison, "Which area are you choosing?!"

Jiang Renbao jumped, flattered by the attention. "You all care about me that much? I... I'm choosing vocal. What about you?"

"Oh, I wanted to choose vocal too."

"What a coincidence. I really do have an affinity with you, Brother Jiang."

"Me too."

"+1."

The four spoke at once.

Then they fell silent again.

That evening, UPE's lead vocalist, Jiang Ji, got a shock when he entered the practice room with a cameraman.

Four expressionless faces surrounded an excited Jiang Renbao, reminding him of a meme of a husky mixed in with a pack of wolves.

"You all chose vocal?" Jiang Ji frowned.

The five nodded together.

"The whole thing will be recorded and might be edited into a short video. Even if you don't debut, you might be chosen as part of a comparison group." Jiang Ji looked very serious. "So, are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Who's first, then?" Jiang Ji looked at the five after asking.

Then he saw four of them take half a step back.

Jiang Ji nodded. "You. Start."

Jiang Renbao: "Huh?"

Over the next few moments, the four learned what a scream from hell sounded like.

In all fairness, Jiang Renbao's voice wasn't unpleasant, but he was far too nervous. No sound came out where he needed low notes, his voice cracked on every high note, and throughout the performance there was a suffocating sense that fate had him by the throat.

Less than half a minute later, Jiang Ji called a stop.

"I had some expectations, but it seems you newcomers really are too poor," Jiang Ji sighed. "Don't waste my time. From now on, perform two at a time. Qiao Huan and Ye Yiwei, get ready."

Jiang Ji knew that a newcomer like Jiang Renbao would be nervous performing alone, let alone in front of a camera, which was why he planned to let the others perform in pairs.

But the words he had spoken without thinking still sounded so harsh.

After all, before his debut, and even afterward, that was how everyone had spoken to one another.

"Okay." Qiao Huan and Ye Yiwei spoke in their usual tones, not taking Jiang Ji's words to heart in the slightest.

Just as the two were preparing to compete at slacking off, the door suddenly opened.

Shi Xingzhou and Tao Zhenting walked in, as if they had timed it perfectly.

Shi Xingzhou was holding a phone and livestreaming. "Sorry to barge in! The fans have been asking a lot about OSOK, so Instructor Tao and I are doing a livestream tour to interact with them. Don't be nervous!"

Qiao Huan and Ye Yiwei both froze.

Shi Xingzhou waved to Qiao Huan, then said to the livestream camera, "These two were a really popular CP in the earlier video. I wonder what kind of surprise they'll bring us by singing together?"

"Starship, this isn't a good idea..." Jiang Ji warned in a low voice, but Shi Xingzhou stopped him with a look, and he fell silent at once.

In front of the boss's son, no matter how popular an idol he was, he was still at the bottom of the food chain.

"I wonder if everyone still remembers the song I first practiced?" Shi Xingzhou's eyes curved into crescents. "Ah, I really hope the juniors these days won't hold back and will leave me, the old wave, dead on the beach~"

Everyone knew that Shi Xingzhou had shot to fame because someone had "secretly filmed" him singing "Luxe Life" a cappella in a practice room and posted the clip on Weibo.

The song was an authentic Black American R&B track, alluding to various tangled relationships, drug use, and the decadent life of Las Vegas. But sung in Shi Xingzhou's youthful voice, it had the incongruous feel of "a child wearing an adult's coat," and it became a hit overnight.

"I fell into Zhouzhou's fandom because of 'Luxe Life'!"

"There probably aren't any trainees who sing better than Zhouzhou..."

"I heard Zhou was chosen in advance to be OSOK's leader and lead vocalist. Is that true?"

"Of course. Otherwise, look at these people. How do they have any star quality compared to Zhou?"

"hhh, this is practically a public execution"

Shi Xingzhou angled the screen to the side, seemingly without thinking. "Don't let the comments affect you."

After saying that, he saw that Qiao Huan wasn't looking at him and made a point of adding, "Especially you, Qiao Huan."

"That's Qiao Huan? The big shot who sings in bars?"

"No way. Why would a big company like Star Radiance take someone from the underworld as a trainee?"

"Besides, this Qiao Huan is good-looking, but he kind of gives off a tone-deaf vibe..."

"What tone-deaf vibe? It's a salted-fish vibe!"

His first time singing, and he had to face an audience across the entire internet? Shi Xingzhou's fans, at that?

Oh my god.

Jiang Renbao was so nervous on their behalf that he was trembling all over.

But Qiao Huan was only quietly discussing their upcoming song with Ye Yiwei, completely unaffected.

The two hit it off immediately. Then Qiao Huan pointed at the guitar in the corner of the practice room and asked, "Can I use that?"

Before Shi Xingzhou could speak, Jiang Ji nodded. "Up to you."

"Okay. Yiwei-ge, shall we start?"

Ye Yiwei looked at Instructor Tao Zhenting, who seemed a little impatient, and thought for a moment. "Can I use that?"

He was pointing at the piano.

"Ye-ge, you can play the piano too?" Jiang Renbao exclaimed.

"Mm, a little." Ye Yiwei sat down at the piano, his back straight, and an air of aloof elegance immediately emerged.

Shi Xingzhou blinked. "You two look pretty professional. What are you going to perform?"

After speaking, he glanced at the comments again. "Don't talk nonsense. It definitely isn't 'Luxe Life'..."

"Of course not," Qiao Huan said coldly. "Quite the opposite."

"Huh?" Shi Xingzhou hadn't even realized Qiao Huan was responding to him. He froze. "What do you mean, the opposite?"

Qiao Huan finally finished tuning the guitar without even lifting his eyes.

"The song Ye Yiwei and I chose for our first assessment is..."

"'Reject Pornography, Gambling, and Drugs.'"

The author had something to say:

Qiao Huan & Ye Yiwei: We of the national team swear to fight pornography, gambling, and drugs to the death.

JJ reviewer: Me too!