"Up ahead is the training building. The trainees are taught in separate classes." Although Shen Yu was a child, the production team did not dare treat him differently. After all, he was the younger brother President Shen had personally called to ask them to take good care of.
Shen Yu kept his little face solemn, but his big eyes darted around. Even from far away, he could hear music coming from the rooms, along with occasional howls and wails.
"Then..."
"Which class is Qiao Luo in? I'm here to visit him."
The words Shen Yu had spent so long preparing were interrupted. Just as he wondered why the voice sounded familiar, he saw Chu Yao, whom he had parted with at the airport, stride up.
"Hey, kid! You're here too?" Chu Yao was clearly even more surprised. His expression lit up as though he had met a friend, but when he caught sight of the staff member beside them, he gave a light cough to maintain his image.
"An instructor's kid, right?" Chu Yao nodded, thinking he understood. Then his thoughts returned to Qiao Luo, who was training, and his attention quickly shifted. "Can I visit him now?"
"The trainees are all training." The assistant sounded somewhat hesitant. Since Chu Yao had made it inside, he presumably had some standing, but the talent competition had rules, not to mention that they were livestreaming.
"I can't?" Chu Yao had not expected to be refused. With Shen Yu staring straight at him beside them, he instantly felt he had lost face. "Then surely I can just watch from the side without disturbing their training?"
"Well..." Faced with Chu Yao's forceful attitude, the assistant was momentarily at a loss.
There was nothing wrong with a tour in itself, but she worried this young master might cause trouble. As a mere assistant, she could not take responsibility for that.
"This is being livestreamed, you know. Don't make things difficult for the assistant." Shen Yu wrinkled his nose, his opinion of Chu Yao dropping, and did not forget to plant his little body in front of the assistant.
When the young boy mistook him for someone giving a girl a hard time, Chu Yao's face flushed red. In disbelief, he explained, "I was just asking."
Explaining is covering up, and covering up means it's true.
Besides, your tone is very unfriendly.
Shen Yu pouted. Although Chu Yao had not arrogantly ordered the assistant to lead the way, his high-and-mighty tone was still unpleasant to hear.
The two stared at each other. Chu Yao glared angrily at Shen Yu's innocent little face. Had Shen Jun been there, he would certainly have recognized that smile as exactly like Shen Jin's.
"You can look around, and if you happen to catch them on a break, you can chat too." The assistant did not dare offend Chu Yao, and she had also been planning to show Shen Yu around, so the four of them headed over together.
"Hey, kid, are you here to see family?"
"Mm-hmm." Thinking of his worrying second brother, then looking at his future enemy beside him, Shen Yu nodded firmly.
"Nice. Nobody in my family likes me." Chu Yao pursed his lips, his tone disgruntled, looking very much like a child starved of affection.
Although Chu Yao came from a prominent family, his parents were strict, and he had an uncle four years older than him held up as an example. Usually repressed and childish, he could not help talking more when he saw Shen Yu.
"Huh?" Shen Yu's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief. Chu Yao was merely a university student; his ability to bring down the Shen Family naturally depended on the power of the family behind him.
With both his father, who had inherited the Chu Family's company, and his young uncle, who had started his own business, Chu Yao, the Chu Family's young grandson, had all the makings of a male protagonist.
"What's that look supposed to mean?" Seeing Shen Yu's slightly narrowed eyes, Chu Yao angrily rolled up his sleeves. "You don't believe me?"
"I do." Looking at the classroom drawing closer, Shen Yu could not be bothered with Chu Yao, who was already an adult yet more childish than he was. "A poor thing nobody loves."
"Damn!" That was clearly what he had meant himself, but hearing it from Shen Yu, Chu Yao could not shake the feeling that something was off.
Unfortunately, Shen Yu gave him no chance to argue, sneaking up to the training room door.
"Take a break for now. The intensity will increase later." He Rui smiled at the trainees, who looked as though they had lost the will to live. Abandoning his earlier stern manner, he raised both hands. "And stop!"
"Hahaha..."
The atmosphere was tense during class, but witty and humorous afterward. The trainees relaxed as well, loosely gathering into a group.
He Rui turned and saw the sneaky little figure, along with Chu Yao's unmistakable air of wealth. He understood at once, then walked over at an unhurried pace.
"Instructor He Rui, they're here to see how the trainees are training." The assistant hurriedly explained the two visitors' circumstances, afraid there might be a misunderstanding.
"Hello, sir."
"Hello, sir!"
Chu Yao and Shen Yu greeted him in unison. As students, their nervousness in front of a teacher was practically etched into their bones.
He Rui had not expected the investor to be so young. Seeing how in sync the two were, he assumed they were family and waved gently. "I hardly deserve to be called an instructor. I only entered the industry a couple of years earlier."
His imposing manner diminished in front of the instructor, Chu Yao looked around, even turning his gaze toward the child, which earned him an eye roll from Shen Yu.
Fine, I'll still have to rely on myself.
"We're just looking around. You don't have to worry about us, sir." The boy scratched his head shyly, his big eyes full of fond admiration for the instructor.
"Of course. They're on a break. Come on in."
It had to be said that people grew increasingly fond of children in middle age. Shen Yu's trusting gaze delighted He Rui, who took the child's hand and led him inside.
Chu Yao followed closely behind, staring in disbelief at the doted-on Shen Yu, a string of gibberish running through his head.
You can do that? One compliment and that's it!
Although Shen Xingshuo could not dance, he still took the basics seriously for the sake of his dream and rarely listened to the others sharing gossip.
Seeing Mo Zeyao and Yang Yi surrounded by people, Shen Xingshuo yawned indifferently. The next second, his open mouth froze.
What was he seeing? His scatterbrained little brother had actually shown up here, and was even smiling and winking at him!
The classroom gradually fell quiet as everyone looked over the unexpected visitors. Apart from the familiar assistant, the other two were clearly no ordinary people.
"Sir, are these our new teammates?" As a trainee He Rui favored, Yang Yi tilted his head playfully as he asked.
Chu Yao in particular looked about their age. If he was a competitor, that would be trouble.
"No, they're here to look around. Don't mind them." He Rui smiled, but offered no further explanation.
Shen Yu blinked, puffing out his cheeks one moment and bobbing his head the next, making Shen Xingshuo, who had only just recovered, chuckle in amusement.
Shen Xingshuo's emotions shifted constantly, so he naturally failed to notice that ever since Qiao Luo had seen Chu Yao, his gaze had turned subtle, and he had even frozen in place.
Two people staring at each other became four people struck speechless. Only Shen Yu waved his arm, swaying it like a beckoning cat.
"Hi~"