Know yourself and your enemy, and you could win every battle.
"How did you make him mad?" Shen Yu's eyes darted around as he folded his legs beneath him and tilted his head up, waiting for the story.
"I didn't really do anything." Seeing Shen Yu's interest, Chu Yao seemed to have found a kindred spirit and spilled everything without the slightest guard. "We agreed to have dinner, but then my buddies asked me to play ball, so I stood him up!"
Shen Yu tilted his head skeptically, his little mouth pursing in disbelief. Given Qiao Luo's optimistic personality, he wouldn't quibble over something so minor. "You told him you had plans, and he was upset that you suddenly turned him down?"
"No, that wasn't it." Chu Yao set aside his puzzlement, a pitiful look appearing on the tall boy's face. "I forgot to tell him. My phone was in my jacket, and I left him waiting for hours."
"And you still think you're in the right?" Shen Yu was stunned. What bizarre species was Chu Yao, to actually think he'd done nothing wrong after leaving someone waiting for hours!
"But I apologized." Chu Yao had no idea there was a problem, and even after going over it again, he still felt wronged. "We grew up together. He always understood when things like this happened before."
Shen Yu stuck out his tongue in anger, only realizing after a long moment that the plot was somewhat different from what he'd imagined. "You grew up together? You've known each other since you were little?"
"Yeah! If his parents hadn't sent Luoluo to study art, we'd even be at the same university!" Chu Yao sounded rather proud.
"So you aren't at the same university, and he came all that way to have dinner with you, but you forgot him so you could play ball?" Shen Yu was dumbfounded. What kind of melodramatic plot about a scummy top and a pathetic bottom was this?
So angry he paced in circles, Shen Yu clenched his fists and stared at Chu Yao, who clearly hadn't realized how serious this was, making a silent vow.
If those two got together, he'd turn into a puppy!
"That's why even going to apologize didn't work." Chu Yao sadly leaned back on the sofa. Shen Yu stared at his slender neck, considering the possibility of slitting it.
"Time to... eat some fruit." Shen Yu changed the words on the tip of his tongue and bit viciously into an apple, so angry that juice splattered out.
"Ah, you're too young to understand!" Having finally found someone to confide in, Chu Yao sounded a little smug as he blabbered on. "Qiao Luo and I were betrothed as kids."
"Pah! What century is this? A relic of feudalism!" Shen Yu chomped noisily on his apple.
"We've been close since we were little. That proves our parents had good judgment."
"Hmph, sentimentality run wild. An arranged marriage!" Shen Yu kept chomping on his apple.
"We've spent so long together. Of course we're compatible."
"Tch, weighing the pros and cons, playing the emotional card!" Shen Yu spat out a bit of apple core that had accidentally gotten into his mouth.
"Do you have something against me?" Shot down at every turn, Chu Yao glared unhappily at the little hamster munching on his apple, itching to reach out and pinch those plump, punchable cheeks.
"I'm trying to keep you from going astray!" Shen Yu ducked his head, afraid this protagonist with his rather skewed values might crack his skull open.
"Whew-be magnanimous. I need to be magnanimous." Chu Yao desperately gave himself mental reminders, telling himself that Shen Yu was a child, and an adult like him shouldn't hold a child's mistakes against him.
Shen Yu curled his lip as he listened, not forgetting to scoot his backside farther away, afraid Chu Yao's stupidity might be contagious.
Thinking of his second brother at training, Shen Yu opened the tablet and pulled up the livestream again. To his surprise, Chu Yao darted over beside him the very next second.
"Looks like you really want to help me. It's fine. Qiao Luo's easy to placate. I can handle it myself."
Seeing that the livestream window Shen Yu had opened happened to be focused on Qiao Luo, Chu Yao smugly curled his lips, never considering how Shen Yu had known when he hadn't mentioned a name.
Shen Yu silently rolled his eyes, feeling that after spending half the day with Chu Yao, even his eyelids had become considerably more flexible.
"I told him I could just arrange Luoluo's debut, but he insisted on entering this talent show. It's so exhausting!" Seeing Qiao Luo panting on-screen, still having to practice dancing with sweat soaking his collar, Chu Yao couldn't help feeling a little distressed for him.
"He's not exactly short of money, is he?" Shen Yu really couldn't bear to listen to Chu Yao's domineering-CEO remarks anymore. After all, Qiao Luo's family was well-off. Even if he took a shortcut, he wouldn't need a certain someone's help.
Seeing Chu Yao rendered speechless, Shen Yu heaved a deep sigh and stealthily raised the little finger of his left hand.
With Chu Yao's personality, if Qiao Luo's family had been even a little worse off, the plot would have veered into a domineering CEO forcing his love on a kept lover.
During his months hanging around the kitchen, Shen Yu had heard plenty of melodramatic novels, but he had to admit that the protagonists all seemed somewhat neurotic.
Seeing Shen Yu's gaze grow fiercer and fiercer, Chu Yao belatedly realized that his words hurt people. He silently shut his mouth and quietly watched the livestream.
Shen Xingshuo had only just recovered from the shocking news his younger brother had brought when he caught sight of Qiao Luo distractedly stretching his legs.
Although he now knew who the two protagonists were, Shen Xingshuo deeply felt that Chu Yao wasn't reliable, while Qiao Luo didn't seem like someone with a dark mind.
Looking at Qiao Luo wallowing in sadness alone, Shen Xingshuo clicked his tongue in disdain. "Snap out of it!"
"Ah!" Qiao Luo jolted, warily looking around. Only after finding that no one was paying attention did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Meeting Shen Xingshuo's raised brows and entertained expression, Qiao Luo pouted, his brows and eyes drooping listlessly.
Shen Xingshuo curled his lip. He hated matters of the heart most of all, and hadn't expected the protagonists who caused the Shen Family to become cannon fodder to be Qiao Luo and Chu Yao.
Had the plot gone off course? What was the point of Yang Yi smearing him?
The clues were becoming more and more tangled. Shen Xingshuo pondered as he stretched his legs. Was the plot reliable at all?
"All right." He Rui clapped his hands. Every trainee had been given guidance on the key to their improvement, and the first lesson was nearing its end. Besides, quite a few people's minds were no longer on the class.
"The second round of selection will take place in seven days. It will be a group competition with individual scoring, requiring teamwork and both singing and dancing."
"Rather than looking for the best teammates, I suggest choosing people who suit you and work well together. I believe that will make for a better performance."
He Rui offered this heartfelt reminder to the young trainees, but seeing that they were already itching to get started, he could only shake his head and leave at an unhurried pace.
"Teamwork? Wouldn't that make conflicts pretty easy to come by?" Qiao Luo rose onto his toes, having already recovered from his earlier mood.
"If you choose badly..." Shen Xingshuo raised his brows. Seeing Qiao Luo look over, he drew both eyes inward, putting on a cross-eyed display.
"Honk, honk, honk." Qiao Luo instantly understood Shen Xingshuo's performance art and grinned, nearly laughing himself back down the evolutionary ladder.
Even two eyes fought for center stage!
"Zeyao, can we be in the same group?" Yang Yi was the first to invite Mo Zeyao. As an outstanding trainee whom He Rui thought highly of, he had the confidence to ask.
Mo Zeyao nodded in agreement. Since he had come to participate in the talent show, he was aiming to debut. No one would pass up a chance to advance.
Although the mentor had said compatibility mattered most, everyone was more inclined to believe that excellent teammates would make the team's overall impression better.
Seeing Mo Zeyao and Yang Yi join forces, the others grew restless, anxiously searching for their targets.
Shen Xingshuo idly shook out his wrists, planning to wait until the end as he had during the dorm assignments. He hadn't expected Mo Zeyao to take the initiative and invite the two of them to join.
"Sure." Shen Xingshuo shrugged indifferently, but when he raised his brows, he saw that Yang Yi beside him didn't look too pleased.
Shen Xingshuo was puzzled. Was he really that unlikable?