A sugar daddy?
Not only Shen Xubai, but even Shen Jun and Shen Jin looked at Shen Yu in exasperation. Was that how you used the term "sugar daddy"?
"You... never mind." Meeting his little brother's big, blinking eyes, Shen Xubai silently swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
A sugar daddy it was, then. As long as his little brother was happy.
"Chase Your Dreams, Boys!" was held during summer break, partly because viewership was high, and partly because college students had time, widening the pool of trainees.
With considerable backbone, Shen Xingshuo refused his family's offer to accompany him. Carrying his luggage, he endured a bumpy journey, only to be stunned by the number of people waiting when he got out of the vehicle.
He knew talent competitions were tough, but he had not expected hundreds of people to still show up for the auditions after passing the preliminary online screening.
The defiant young man stood dejectedly by the roadside with his luggage, looking exactly like a down-and-out young master who had been kicked out of his home.
Those who had already arrived pretended to glance casually at Shen Xingshuo, his outstanding looks making them a little more wary. The stronger their opponents were, the greater the pressure on them.
Shen Xingshuo smoothed his hair. Seeing the others quietly discussing him, he could not be bothered to pay them any attention and leaned against the wall to rest with his eyes closed.
"Hey! Are you on your own too?"
His doze interrupted, Shen Xingshuo lazily opened his eyes. His narrow eyes were heavy with fatigue as he sized up the young man in annoyance.
The other boy was probably a college student, dressed in an affordable luxury brand. His rosy face radiated goodwill, and he looked like an optimistic young man nurtured by a loving family.
"Mm." Inwardly haughty, Shen Xingshuo uncrossed his arms and gave a hum with adolescent affectation.
"Hi, I'm Qiao Luo. I'm on my own too." The good-natured young man did not mind Shen Xingshuo's cold expression at all and enthusiastically introduced himself.
If not a person, then a dog?
Shen Xingshuo instinctively curled his lip, then quickly straightened his mouth. He was so used to bantering with Shen Yu at home that he had nearly forgotten his cool-guy image in public.
"I'm Shen Xingshuo." Thinking of his little brother, who was always smiling without a care at home, Shen Xingshuo's expression softened considerably.
"You look so tall. You'd definitely stand out in our class." Seeing Shen Xingshuo respond, Qiao Luo's smiling eyes curved even further, and he did not hold back his praise.
"I guess." Shen Xingshuo, who showed off in every possible way in front of his little brother, was socially anxious outside the home. Faced with the overflowing enthusiasm of Qiao Luo, he wished he could haul over the endlessly chattering Shen Yu to handle him.
"But I heard we have to sing and dance for the competition." Thinking of the information he had gathered, Qiao Luo frowned in distress. "Our major's classes didn't teach dance."
Shen Xingshuo's expression cracked at that, his brows knitting tightly as though he had heard something unbelievable. "We have to dance too?"
"You didn't know either?" Surprised that Shen Xingshuo had not done his research, Qiao Luo immediately and eagerly filled him in. "You can perform whatever you want at the auditions, but the later rounds have specified directions."
"Now I know." Shen Xingshuo could no longer smile at all. His eldest brother had taken him to learn all kinds of instruments when he was little, so wind instruments, strings, and singing were no problem, but as for dancing...
With a blank expression, Shen Xingshuo wondered whether the aerobics he had learned in his freshman year counted as a foundation.
Whether it was the cool, dashing Shen Xingshuo or the seemingly ever-smiling Qiao Luo, simply standing there made the two of them formidable rivals in many people's minds.
The others seemed to be excluding and ignoring them, but in reality, everyone had their ears pricked up, eavesdropping on their conversation. Only when they heard that neither of them could dance did most of them relax considerably.
Maybe they were just pretty faces with no substance!
They had done their research, after all. Though they were nowhere near the best, they had a foundation in both singing and dancing.
"You only brought one suitcase? I had to cram everything in just to get it down to two." Qiao Luo was very talkative. In the blink of an eye, he changed the subject and continued chatting with Shen Xingshuo.
"I only brought clothes." Catching sight of the suitcase whose zipper was about to burst out of the corner of his eye, Shen Xingshuo twitched his mouth in disbelief.
"Hehe, my parents were worried I wouldn't be used to the food here." Qiao Luo scratched his head. Assuming Shen Xingshuo had come to the auditions behind his parents' backs, he immediately offered enthusiastically, "We can eat together."
"No, thanks." Shen Xingshuo watched the young man proudly pat his suitcase, looking exactly like a hamster proud of its full food stores, just like a certain little ingrate at home.
"You're not allowed to bring food into the dorms, and you still claim you did your research?" Even just chatting, Shen Xingshuo and Qiao Luo drew plenty of attention and naturally attracted jealousy.
"Huh? We can't bring any?" Qiao Luo turned in surprise. His gaze landed on the other boy's hair sticking straight up, and he pursed his lips like a pufferfish.
Thinking he had wounded Qiao Luo's pride, the spiky-haired young man lifted his chin arrogantly. "There are so many people at the auditions. If someone gets an upset stomach from eating something during that time, how is the production team supposed to take responsibility?"
"You really know your stuff. Impressive." Qiao Luo completely missed the mockery in his tone and even gave him a thumbs-up.
Jiang Can was so angry at this that he could not speak. He had not expected the pretty Qiao Luo to be such a blockhead. Even mockery that blatant had gone right over his head, leaving Jiang Can with nowhere to vent his anger.
"No matter how much research you do, it's all wasted if you don't advance." Unable to stand seeing someone beside him bullied, Shen Xingshuo fired back at Jiang Can without mercy.
"You!" Jiang Can had a temper that flared at the slightest spark, and he and Shen Xingshuo were somewhat similar types to boot. They were on the verge of arguing.
"Everyone participating in the auditions, please be quiet. Due to the large number of applicants, the selection process will take three to five days."
"We will now assign dorm rooms. Form your own groups of four."
"This afternoon, you will draw lots in order and line up to enter the waiting area!"
"To ensure fairness and transparency in the auditions, the entire process will be livestreamed!"
The crowd surged as soon as they saw the rules, pulling people around them into groups. Before long, little clusters had formed.
Shen Xingshuo stood with his arms crossed, watching indifferently as everyone walked past him, while Qiao Luo actively looked for people. "Do you have any friends you want to team up with? You can bring them into our group."
Our group?
Shen Xingshuo looked up, a little unused to Qiao Luo's instant familiarity. But looking at his sincere, wide eyes, he pressed his lips together and said, "No."
"All right, I'm on my own too." Qiao Luo bobbed his head, still remembering to comfort Shen Xingshuo. "Having fewer people is pretty nice too. More freedom."
Shen Xingshuo could not understand why Qiao Luo kept emphasizing that he was a person. After a moment's thought, he decided it was a personal habit and chose not to interfere.
As groups formed, the number of people left gradually dwindled, until only Jiang Can, who had spoken provocatively, and Lin Yan, whose clothes were slightly worn, remained.
"The four of us are together!" Qiao Luo had not expected to have roommates after all and immediately, enthusiastically dragged the three "withdrawn" young men off to find their room.
The cameras in the hall faithfully recorded everything that happened, and White Peach TV's livestream quietly began.
Shen Yu sat in the living room, his eyes fixed intently on everything captured by the cameras. After finally finding his show-off second brother in the sea of people, he was stunned by Qiao Luo's self-introduction.
Oh no, he'd met the protagonist on the very first day!