Late

Outside the hallway, several photographers crouched by the window, exchanging looks as they struggled to hold back their laughter.

They had no idea what the people inside were up to. Two or three dozen people were dancing together, doing a dance that looked incredibly silly, while Chen Si Yang helped film them on her phone.

As she filmed, Chen Si Yang couldn't take it anymore either. She crouched down, clutching her stomach as she laughed.

The whole scene was just too absurd—so cocky and ridiculous.

The photographers' cameras began to shake, too.

Only the person leading the dance had the most energy.

"Hey, you! Attitude, got it? Look at that brother beside you with the crooked mouth. Yeah, just like that—tilt your mouth and look at the sky, like you're not afraid of anyone!" Tang Zhi Chu shouted.

Tang Zhi Chu led the dance and brought out Chen Si Yang's kind of attitude.

After they finished another round, Tang Zhi Chu gave them a thumbs-up, then made his triumphant exit.

He left a group of people looking at one another and laughing at each other.

"You dance so badly!"

"You're the one who dances badly!"

"I feel so stupid, but I'm having so much fun!"

"I'm dying! Why does Brother Tang actually look pretty good dancing?"

Quite a few people started looking for their phones, then asked the people beside them to record them.

Tang Zhi Chu sat down where he'd been sitting at the start and picked up the water someone had given him earlier.

"You guys are so silly, I'm dying! Hahaha!" Chen Si Yang laughed her way over, crawling along the floor.

Tang Zhi Chu shrugged. "We're taking this seriously. What, you don't like my dancing?"

"Hahaha, I give up. Impressive, impressive. How did you even come up with that?"

"I just figured it out myself."

After laughing for a while, Chen Si Yang was going to have the trainees keep dancing, but after taking another look, she decided against it.

Everyone was having too much fun to leave. They filmed videos, compared them with one another, then burst into laughter.

"Come on, let me take you for a coffee." Chen Si Yang stood up, figuring that was probably enough for this lesson.

Tang Zhi Chu nodded and stood up, too.

Nearby, someone saw Chen Si Yang and Tang Zhi Chu leave through the back door and started to run over to greet them, but her companion stopped her.

"What are you doing? Trying to be a third wheel?"

"Is Brother Tang really Teacher Chen's boyfriend?"

"I never said that. Don't go spreading it around."

The fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl nodded. Watching Tang Zhi Chu and Chen Si Yang walk away, she suddenly added, "I kind of like him."

Her companion stared at her. "Like who?"

"Oh, not that kind of like. I mean, I admire him."

"Why? Because of the dance he taught us?"

"No." The girl thought for a moment before replying, "It was what he said. Dreams are important, but being happy matters more."

Her companion fell silent. This was a factory for making stars, where everyone worked hard for their dreams. But out of all these people, how many would actually become entertainers?

The coffee shop was on the second floor, right next to the cafeteria. Tang Zhi Chu and Chen Si Yang sat across from each other.

Neither of them spoke. Chen Si Yang stirred the coffee in front of her with a spoon.

Tang Zhi Chu looked out at the busy traffic.

If he hadn't messed things up, would this date have been about chasing your dreams?

"I didn't expect you to be so funny," Chen Si Yang said suddenly.

Tang Zhi Chu came back to himself and smiled. "How am I funny? It's just about having fun. I was bored, so I found a way to entertain myself."

Chen Si Yang widened her eyes. "Oh, so I'm boring you?"

"No. I was worried you'd be bored."

"You're the one who was having fun."

Tang Zhi Chu didn't argue. He took out his phone and opened DY.

Chen Si Yang looked curious. "What are you doing?"

Tang Zhi Chu raised his phone, motioning for Chen Si Yang to come sit beside him.

Chen Si Yang stood up and sat down next to Tang Zhi Chu.

Tang Zhi Chu browsed DY, then tapped on Nearby. After watching a few videos, he found one of the trainees dancing to Orange Memories.

"Look, it's already getting quite a few likes!" Tang Zhi Chu said with a smile.

Chen Si Yang leaned over, then burst out laughing.

The dance really was catchy. As someone with a fairly professional understanding of dance, Chen Si Yang had a good sense for these things. It might actually go viral.

Tang Zhi Chu came across several more similar videos in a row. They had all been posted within the last twenty minutes, and the most popular ones already had over a thousand likes.

The trainees had a natural advantage: they were all handsome or beautiful, and most of them had at least a small fan base.

They were professionals, too, and knew to protect the show's privacy. Neither Tang Zhi Chu nor Chen Si Yang appeared in their videos.

Tang Zhi Chu nodded with satisfaction. He had worked extensively with DY in his previous life and knew just how powerful it could be. In the professional jargon he'd used back then, this was called building your own traffic pool.

"What's next on the schedule?" Tang Zhi Chu asked Chen Si Yang.

Chen Si Yang looked at him, puzzled. "Are you sure you still want me to plan what's next?"

Uh.

Apparently, Chen Si Yang knew he still had another date coming up.

Tang Zhi Chu puffed out his chest. "Go ahead and plan it. Whoever chickens out is a dog!"

Chen Si Yang laughed. "All right, then come with me to an acting class."

After the acting class ended, it was four in the afternoon.

Tang Zhi Chu left the Heavenly Harmony branch office.

Tang Zhi Chu didn't try to read too much into Chen Si Yang anymore. The way they got along was clear enough.

He hadn't hidden how much he favored Chen Si Yang, either.

They were all adults. They could figure out the future when it came.

By the time Tang Zhi Chu reached Zhou Yun's gym, it was past five.

The gym was on the second floor of a commercial street. Zhou Yun met Tang Zhi Chu downstairs.

When they met, Zhou Yun didn't exactly give Tang Zhi Chu a warm welcome.

They'd agreed to meet at four. Zhou Yun had already given Tang Zhi Chu plenty of extra time, but now it was five-thirty.

Inside the elevator, Zhou Yun stood by the doors, with Tang Zhi Chu behind her.

Zhou Yun tended to dress boldly, and Tang Zhi Chu didn't even dare look at her.

She wore a sports bra on top and yoga pants on the bottom.

Put it this way: her curves looked just as pronounced as if she weren't wearing anything, and every part of her that showed was pale.

As the elevator doors opened, Zhou Yun suddenly said, "You didn't have to come if you didn't want to."

Tang Zhi Chu froze for a moment, surprised. That didn't sound like something Zhou Yun would say. There was too much emotion behind it.

Still, Tang Zhi Chu followed her out.

The receptionist was a pretty young woman. She greeted them enthusiastically, then stopped when she noticed the boss didn't look too happy.

The gym was crowded at this time of day, but it was spacious enough.

It had two sections: a regular area, where nearly everyone worked out on their own, mostly running. There were treadmills, and a large screen in front where people could watch shows.

The VIP area had just as much equipment, if not more, but it wasn't as crowded. Nearly everyone there had a personal trainer beside them, both men and women.

Zhou Yun commanded more respect at this gym than Tang Zhi Chu had imagined. He could sense how nervous the personal trainers became when they saw her.

Zhou Yun took Tang Zhi Chu to the changing room, then handed him a set of clothes.

Tang Zhi Chu thought, This time, my legs are going to hurt again.

Zhou Yun was very thoughtful. The clothes she gave Tang Zhi Chu fit him well, just like the set she'd given him last time.

When he came out of the changing room, Zhou Yun was leaning against the door, lost in thought.

Tang Zhi Chu spoke first. "I'm sorry."

He felt he should apologize. He really had been late.

Zhou Yun waved a hand. "Forget it. I've made a fairly detailed workout plan based on your situation. If you want to train, come with me."

Tang Zhi Chu naturally nodded. "Of course I want to. Lead the way."