"Song Yanqing! You fucking bastard! If I ever save you again, I'm a pig-"
With that, Shang Shujue stood up to leave, but before he could take a single step, Song Yanqing pulled him back down into his seat, his crazed voice ringing in his ears.
"Hey! What are you so angry for? If you want to kiss me, I'll let you. You did save me, after all. I'm willing to repay you by giving myself to you. Really!"
"You're insane!" Shang Shujue stared blankly at Song Yanqing for a long moment before processing what he had just said. He hurriedly pulled his hand back. "Don't repay kindness with evil, fuck!"
"Eww! You lunatic!"
[Aaaah-Song Yanqing, that lunatic! He really is my nemesis. I can't stay around him, fuck! Has he gotten so vicious he doesn't even care about his own reputation anymore? Terrifying!]
Shang Shujue fled, his ears scarlet and his steps unsteady. From behind, he really did look like he had done something bad and felt a little guilty.
But he refused to admit it, acting perfectly justified, even deliberately putting on a fierce front to scare his host's kitten.
"Pfft... Hahaha..."
Leaning against the sofa, Song Yanqing watched Shang Shujue beat a hasty retreat. With those lively, panicked thoughts ringing in his ears, he finally failed to hold back his laughter.
Song Yanqing laughed for a while before stopping. Looking at the gastroenteritis medicine Shang Shujue had left on the table, he lowered his eyes, and something seemed to flicker through their depths.
Only after a long while did he reach out and pick it up, placing it in his pocket with careful tenderness. He looked up at the ceiling and remained silent for a long time, a trail of tears slipping down his face.
Shang Shujue, this time, I won't let you go again.
By the time Shang Shujue returned to the training camp, it was already 12:21 a.m. He was carrying food and drinks he had bought for Chen Jiarui. The girl was still awake.
When Shang Shujue brought them over, she was so surprised that it took her a long while to say thank you. He thought nothing of it and turned toward the dormitory building.
To make earning merit easier, he had simply moved into the training camp's dormitory building. He lived alone, though, without any roommates, which was very convenient for him.
He had barely stepped into the dormitory elevator when Zhou Zheng entered right behind him with his five roommates. Both sides froze a little at the sight of each other.
"Brother Jue, why are you only getting back now? Was it something work-related?"
A roommate poked Zhou Zheng in the lower back, making him lurch forward and stand out from the other five. Helpless, he could only speak to Shang Shujue with his face flushed red.
"I had some personal business to handle. You guys train this late?"
[Huh? Am I that scary? Look how frightened these boys are. Their faces have gone white. Speaking of which, why does this kid who suddenly stepped forward look a little familiar?]
As soon as Shang Shujue's inner voice grew lively, the trainees who were still up training or playing on their phones instantly took out their phones to message the group, their ears pricking up too.
[Xu Jiaqiao]: Aaaah! Is Brother Jue back? Where? Where? Where? It's past midnight now. Can we eat melons?!
[Xu Zhichen]: In the elevator. The six of us ran into him. He just got back from outside. From the looks of it, he's probably about to spill Zhou Zheng's melon.
Xu Zhichen, who was in the same elevator, quickly sent a message, then looked up at Zhou Zheng and Shang Shujue, his eyes practically glowing green.
For some reason, Zhou Zheng felt both anticipation and apprehension. Afraid Shang Shujue would not remember who he was, he even made a point of introducing himself.
"Brother Jue, my name's Zhou Zheng. We've met before. I don't know if you still remember?"
Hearing Zhou Zheng's words, Shang Shujue instantly understood, though on the surface he merely gave a polite, courteous nod. "Oh, it's you. Mm, I'll remember."
[Nuomi! Quick, quick, quick! Melons, melons, melons! Where's Zhou Zheng's melon? Can I eat it yet? Let me see what his melon is!]
Outwardly, Shang Shujue remained perfectly serious, but inside, he had grown lively-almost wildly so.
Zhou Zheng, Xu Zhichen, and the others: Brother Jue, if we couldn't hear your thoughts, we'd never know you were such a goofball inside!
Shang Shujue seemed to have finished eating the melon. His gaze toward Zhou Zheng shifted from politeness and courtesy to pity and regret, making Zhou Zheng terribly nervous. Was his fate miserable too?
"Brother Jue, is there something you want to tell me?"
Zhou Zheng rubbed the back of his head, his ears reddening in embarrassment. He looked incredibly honest, even a little foolish.
"Nothing. Your collar's crooked."
Shang Shujue told a blatant lie and glanced away. Zhou Zheng touched his collar, knowing it was an excuse, and gave an "Oh."
[Hiss... This kid's too honest. He believes anything he's told. No wonder, after getting eliminated later, his little green tea girlfriend scams him out of everything, right down to his underwear.]
Zhou Zheng's heart went cold as soon as he heard that. Whether it was getting eliminated or being scammed, both left him stunned. It was practically a critical hit.
He did not have a girlfriend yet, so being scammed by one did not feel real to him. Getting eliminated, though, felt very real-he was in the middle of this competition, after all...
"Brother Jue... Mmph!"
Zhou Zheng wanted to ask Shang Shujue exactly when he would be eliminated, but before he could call out, Xu Zhichen smoothly covered his mouth, leaving him unable to say anything.
Shang Shujue gave Xu Zhichen and Zhou Zheng a puzzled look. Seeing Xu Zhichen smile at him without saying anything, he asked no questions either, merely nodding before stepping out of the elevator.
"This is my floor. Good night, everyone."
"Good night, Brother Jue."
After Shang Shujue left and the elevator doors closed, Xu Zhichen finally released Zhou Zheng. Before he could say anything, Shang Shujue's inner voice sounded again.
*[Getting eliminated just before debut night means this kid's pretty capable. He's just too trusting.*
That little green tea casually gets him some sleeping pills and makes it look like they slept together, and he thinks he's done something beastly.
And gotten the little green tea pregnant. In reality, it's just a ploy to make him take responsibility for someone else's baby. He actually believes it, hahaha... That's too funny...
*ε=(´ο｀*))) Sigh, it's a shame, too. After leaving the entertainment industry, if he hadn't met that little green tea Yang Xuehuan, he might have passed the civil service exam.*
His own fault for being a poor judge of character. That little green tea gets jealous of him and secretly reports him. What a shame. A government job's so good. Isn't it cleaner than the entertainment industry?
Later, the little green tea angers his parents to death, his older brother and sister die in a car crash, and the little green tea runs off with the money. His family's destroyed, and he freezes to death on the street. It's truly awful.
*I get it now. All the tragic souls in this industry have probably been gathered into this season of the talent show.]*
Shang Shujue's inner voice stopped there. Zhou Zheng, who had already been a little agitated, was even more agitated now. He was so worked up that he could not speak, but it was from anger, because he really did know that little green tea.
Yang Xuehuan? Wasn't she the goddess he had secretly confessed to in high school? How could she be that kind of person?!
"Zhou Zheng, calm down. Don't scare Brother Jue. Since he knows about your situation, he'll definitely help, but you can't just sit around waiting either. Keep an eye out."
Xu Zhichen patted Zhou Zheng's shoulder, unsure how to comfort him for the moment. Now that he knew the ending in advance, he would surely be able to change it.