Chapter 10

Ye Zexi: "Mm."

A single lighthearted word, brimming with confidence.

He Jinyun found it amusing, but still reminded him, "It's always good to prepare a few different performances, unless you're still confident you'll take first place this time."

Ye Zexi set down the sunflower seeds in his hand and took a sip of the warm water the staff had prepared. His rosy lips glistened with moisture as he blinked at He Jinyun, his eyes seeming wet. He looked innocent yet candid. "I wasn't planning to take first place."

He Jinyun: "..."

Sure enough, that was exactly what Ye Zexi would say.

After a while, He Jinyun gave a low chuckle. "All right. I have something to do, so I'll be leaving first."

With that, He Jinyun rose and left the training room.

After he left, even more curious gazes turned toward Ye Zexi.

The corners of Ye Zexi's lips lifted into a smile as he met everyone's eyes with a clear gaze.

Those who met Ye Zexi's eyes looked as though their tails had been stepped on, hurriedly looking away.

Before long, music sounded in the training room again, and rehearsal continued.

As Ye Zexi cracked sunflower seeds, he unusually spent a second thinking about what He Jinyun had meant by "prepare a few more performances."

When that second was up and he still had not figured it out, Ye Zexi simply put the matter out of his mind.

It was not until the day of the dress rehearsal that Ye Zexi finally understood what He Jinyun had meant—the competition format had changed.

Chapter 10 [10]

On Thursday, the day of the dress rehearsal, Qu Xiao announced the latest competition rules in front of everyone.

The group battle format remained unchanged. What changed was the individual PK round for members of the losing group. Previously, contestants prepared their own performances for this segment. They could choose from dance, vocal performance, or original compositions.

But in order to better assess each contestant and select those with stronger all-around abilities, this round had been changed to a random draw.

In other words, contestants could no longer rely on their specialties.

Furthermore, during the PK, the mentors could call for an additional battle at any time.

That meant every contestant needed to prepare at least three performances, including both dance and vocal performances.

The rules had been updated, and the selection process had become even harsher.

As soon as Qu Xiao finished speaking, a collective gasp rose from the room.

"My god, dance isn't my strength at all. I've been practicing songs this whole time. There's less than a day until tomorrow's competition—where am I supposed to find time to rehearse?"

"But it's still fair this way. Otherwise, if vocalists go against dancers, there's no basis for comparison."

"Are we still doing the dress rehearsal now? I want to go back and practice dancing right away."

Even Tang Jing was unusually nervous and uneasy.

The rule change had come far too suddenly. They had not been mentally prepared at all.

Amid the stunned contestants, Ye Zexi, who sat steadily in his seat, looked particularly out of place.

The contestant beside him was so anxious that his eyes had reddened, yet Ye Zexi merely shifted into a more comfortable position, calm beyond belief.

The moment Qu Xiao announced free training, all the contestants rushed toward the practice rooms.

Ye Zexi lagged one step behind the others and was stopped by Li Changjian.

"Hey, Zexi!" Li Changjian walked over to Ye Zexi and gestured for the cameraman to leave first.

When Ye Zexi saw Li Changjian, his beautiful peach blossom eyes curved into slits. "Uncle Li, I haven't seen you in a long time."

"Something came up a few days ago. I was busy for several days and only just got back." As Li Changjian spoke, he looked Ye Zexi up and down. His brows furrowed as he asked with some concern, "How are your performances coming along? This change in the rules was a little sudden, but it's reasonable too. You..."

"I've prepared everything." Ye Zexi smiled. "Uncle, you don't need to worry about me."

Even after hearing that, Li Changjian was still somewhat uneasy. He had just watched the dress rehearsal for Ye Zexi's group as well.

Although their group performance was excellent, who could guarantee that the mentors' scores and audience votes tomorrow would allow Ye Zexi's group to advance in first place?

Although Li Changjian had not been at the recording site during this time, Shan Zeyu had told him about Ye Zexi's situation.

He was very serious during training hours, but once training ended, do not even dream of seeing Ye Zexi get up from the sofa again.

Every day after training, he either watched other groups practice or went back to the dorm to sleep!

Actively and diligently training?

Sorry, perhaps only the training part applied.

Li Changjian wanted to say something but stopped himself.

The moment Ye Zexi met Li Changjian's eyes, he knew what Li Changjian wanted to say. He spoke first. "Uncle Li, don't worry. I'm going to train now."

With so many staff members around, and since Ye Zexi had said he was going back to train, Li Changjian could not say much more. He merely told him to train properly and said that if he needed to trouble any professional mentors, he only had to ask.

Ye Zexi nodded in agreement to each point, then left the recording hall humming a tune. The moment he turned around, he walked right past the training room.

Go train?

Sleeping was better.

It was already eleven thirty at night. Since transmigrating into this novel, Ye Zexi had never gone to sleep later than twelve thirty!

Ye Zexi had already experienced the consequences of working day and night. Now, he only wanted to eat well, drink well, have fun, and sleep well.

That was the kind of splendor life should have.

His steps light, and as his room drew closer, the smile on Ye Zexi's lips grew wider.

Just then, Ye Zexi's sharp ears caught a suppressed sob. He stopped in his tracks.

The boy's voice was filled with helplessness and repression, as though he had suffered an enormous grievance. "...It's simply, simply impossible to learn a dance in one day. I know, I know the mentors are right... but, but... mm..."

The boy did not say anything else. Choked sobs followed, along with the rustling of clothing.

Ye Zexi did not move. Looking at the door to his room just within reach, he began to consider whether he should leave for a while.