Chapter 9

Before he went abroad, his parents came to talk to him. They wanted him to meet a girl from the Lin family.

As a member of the Gu family, Gu Zhijing had seen plenty of business marriages in their circle. He understood almost instantly what it meant.

He pretended to be uninterested and turned them down outright.

But his parents kept trying to persuade him.

Finally, Gu Zhijing could take no more. "I'm only eighteen. My sister isn't even married yet, so what's the rush?"

"That's different."

His father said, "Your sister will marry into another family someday."

"Although we'll choose her partner carefully, once she marries out, she'll be part of another family. Who knows? She might even help outsiders in the future."

"You're the one who really belongs to the Gu family. Do you understand?"

Gu Zhijing froze.

He suddenly laughed and leaned back, a rare note of sarcasm in his voice. "Really? Is it because our family has a throne to inherit that I'm indispensable?"

It was only then that he understood.

Though his parents doted on them both, deep down, they had never seen them as individuals.

One was a bargaining chip for future business dealings; the other was a succession machine that would bring the family more profits.

As a member of the Gu family, what freedom could he possibly have?

Worse still, he discovered that his sister, Gu Zhixing, had gradually come to accept it all and had chosen to side with their parents.

But Gu Zhijing didn't want that.

After he refused again and again, his father, Gu Zeduan, glanced at him. "It's just a meeting. We're not asking you to settle anything so soon. Why are you so against it?"

His tone grew grave as he questioned him with a hint of suspicion. "Don't tell me you really are... that?"

Gu Zhijing's heart skipped a beat, but he feigned calm. "What?"

"Don't play dumb!"

"Your earring-someone already told me about it! Tell me yourself, what does it mean?"

Gu Zeduan apparently found it embarrassing even to say it aloud. His hands shook with anger. "I'm telling you... if it's true, you're no son of the Gu family. Our family has never produced a pervert like that!"

In truth, if Gu Zhijing had acted agreeable and said he'd gotten it just for fun, the matter probably would have blown over.

But that just wasn't the kind of person he was.

For the first time, Gu Zhijing, who had been doted on for eighteen years, realized something.

If he didn't grow up according to the plan they liked,

they could disown him as their son.

Gu Zhijing raised his eyes and calmly looked at his father.

His privileged upbringing had given him not only good manners and a good temper, but also pride and a backbone of steel.

"If I admit it, are you planning to throw me out?"

He vaguely heard his dreaming self chuckle, then say:

"Fine."

Memories interwoven with dreams swept over him.

Gu Zhijing tossed restlessly in bed, as though being dragged into a deeper abyss.

He left home with nothing but the earring he had bought himself as a coming-of-age gift.

But after only a few steps, someone forced him underwater.

"Drown him."

It was his father's icy voice. "Don't bring shame on the Gu family."

The water pouring into his nose and mouth was salty, fishy and bitter.

A second before he suffocated,

Gu Zhijing jolted awake from the dream, drenched in sweat.

He touched his face, slick with cold sweat, only to see someone standing beside his bed. For a moment, he was nearly scared out of his wits.

Only after the person crouched down and touched his forehead did Gu Zhijing suddenly realize who it was. "Brother... Brother Chi?"

The balcony was especially quiet at three thirty in the morning.

There was nothing but the humming white noise of the air conditioner's outdoor unit.

"No fever."

Leaning against the railing, Sheng Chi asked him, "So you had a nightmare? What's wrong? Is something on your mind?"

Gu Zhijing rubbed his face and shook his head, trying to pull himself free of the gaps between dreams and memories.

What had really happened was a little different from the dream.

The Gu family hadn't been so ruthless as to actually drown him, of course.

They let him leave, but cut off all his financial support, waiting for him to come back and admit he was wrong.

They wanted him to admit that his sexual orientation was wrong, then obediently agree to the arranged marriage, study abroad, follow the life plan they had laid out for him step by step, and eventually fulfill his duties as the Gu family's heir.

Gu Zeduan knew his son better than anyone.

How much hardship could a pampered young master endure out in the world?

He would come back before he starved to death.

As for whether he would starve, Gu Zhijing really didn't know.

Because before that could happen, he met Fei Yue.

Fei Yue took the poor young master in, gave him food, a place to stay, and a base salary. His only request was that he train hard and try to debut.

Gu Zhijing was among the first to join.

Back then, neither Jiang Yu nor Qi Wang had arrived yet. Fei Yue's project was barely getting started, and he didn't even know whether he could get the group off the ground. He had taken Gu Zhijing in partly as a backup.

But Gu Zhijing was deeply grateful to Fei Yue for it.

He let out a breath and said, "No, I'm just too tired."

Sheng Chi was silent for quite a while.

Just when Gu Zhijing thought he wasn't going to say anything else, he spoke. "When I first got to South Korea, I had nightmares all the time too."

Gu Zhijing paused, then understood.

Sheng Chi probably thought his nightmare was caused by too much stress and anxiety, just as his own had been, and wanted to comfort him with his own experience.

Gu Zhijing leaned against the wall and laughed to himself.

Of course it couldn't be the same.

But he couldn't sleep anyway, so there was no harm in listening to a story.

Sheng Chi wasn't one for long speeches.

In just a few words, he glossed over how he had trained day and night in South Korea only to be excluded, then spoke of how he had stayed on for a few more years and finally gotten a chance to debut, only for the company to force him to quit and return home.

Then he had come back with his bags on his back, only to be swindled by a shell company.

He brushed over such painful experiences so lightly.

In the dark, silent night, Sheng Chi's words slowly faded into silence.

It was the first time he had said so much.

It was also the first time Gu Zhijing had listened quietly for so long.

His way of comforting people wasn't particularly skillful. Compared to his usual calm demeanor, he seemed a little slow and awkward.

But something about it suddenly touched Gu Zhijing.

It was another side of a world he had never encountered before.

It was also the life story of Sheng Chi, who stood before him now, still holding on to a half-formed dream.

After Sheng Chi finished, neither of them spoke for a long time.

After a while, Gu Zhijing lowered his eyes and called softly, "Brother Chi."

Sheng Chi said, "Yeah?"

Gu Zhijing's eyes curved into a smile. As though he had suddenly made a decision, he said in a very cheerful, very certain tone, "Don't worry. You'll definitely debut."

"And then you and your group will become incredibly popular, famous far and wide, turning the world upside down."

"When that happens, you can have whatever stage you want, dance for as long as you want, and release whatever songs you want."

"Lots and lots of people will like you too."

"It'll never be like it was before."

As Sheng Chi listened, he suddenly felt that something wasn't quite right.

He looked at Gu Zhijing and was just about to speak when Gu Zhijing stretched and started back into the room. "I'm sleepy. I'm going back to bed."

Before going inside, he looked back. His peach-blossom eyes curved, a little moisture in them, shining like fallen stars in the dark night. They held a faint smile of what looked like relief. "Oh, right, Brother Chi."

"Thank you."

"Good night," he said softly.

Sheng Chi felt something in his heart stir faintly.

He didn't follow him back. Instead, he stayed on the balcony in the cold wind for another five minutes before going inside.

Before climbing into bed, he glanced at Gu Zhijing again.

Gu Zhijing wasn't a particularly well-behaved sleeper. He usually liked to wrap himself up in his blanket and bury his face.

It was never possible to tell whether he was asleep or awake.

With one foot on the ladder, Sheng Chi remained silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke softly to the small part of the back of Gu Zhijing's head that was visible. "Good night."

Chapter 10

Two days later, the mid-August assessment arrived as scheduled.

This time, Sheng Chi was fairly confident in Gu Zhijing.

Although he hadn't been in the best condition over the past two days, his skills had improved considerably over the past half month.

Most of the assessment material was stuff they had learned in class, and they hadn't learned much that was new over the past half month. Considering that they might draw songs from earlier lessons, Sheng Chi had helped Gu Zhijing review everything he had learned before.

With his abilities, this assessment shouldn't be much of a problem.

This time, Qi Wang didn't play any tricks, so the four who performed before him all performed at their usual level.

After Xu Linyuan finished, it was Gu Zhijing's turn to go up and draw lots.

Sheng Chi watched him from below the stage.

Judging by Gu Zhijing's abilities over this period,

he could probably secure fifth place and compete for fourth.

The music started.

Onstage, Gu Zhijing raised his eyes and looked quietly at the camera.

The comments in the livestream grew enthusiastic again.

Although the assessment livestream was considerably less popular than last time, the content posted over the past few days to build a loyal fanbase hadn't been for nothing. It had retained a group of viewers.

Gu Zhijing's pretty face had already earned him a little attention outside the usual circle last time, and his performance hadn't let him down either. He had gained a small number of fans, who now flooded the comments so wildly that they nearly crashed the server again.

But below the stage, Sheng Chi frowned.

Something was wrong.

Something wasn't right.

He seemed completely different from when he had last gone onstage.

When the first verse began, Sheng Chi finally realized what the problem was.

Gu Zhijing wasn't singing at all!

Sheng Chi's expression froze.

Gu Zhijing had turned the singing-and-dancing assessment into a pure dance performance.

As far as the dancing went, he was doing reasonably well.

But not singing wasn't a question of ability. It was a question of attitude.

Sure enough, comments questioning him began to appear in the livestream.

[Are my headphones broken, or am I deaf??? Why is there only the backing track?]

[Is the mic broken? Why isn't anyone down there replacing it???]

[Can the person above stop rushing to blame the mic? Can't you see he hasn't even opened his mouth?]

The questioning comments gradually multiplied, though most were still speculating that something had suddenly gone wrong with his throat. No one was accusing him of slacking off.

In the trainees' seats below the stage,

Xu Linyuan frowned. "What's wrong with his throat?"

Jiang Yu looked shocked. "Wasn't he fine just before he went up?"

The single-celled organism thought for a moment, then started to get to his feet. "I bet that bastard Qi Wang poisoned him! I'm going to settle the score."

Xu Linyuan held him down. "...Do you think this is a palace intrigue novel?"

"If it wasn't Qi Wang, who else could it be? He couldn't have done it to himself."

Jiang Yu glanced to the side. "Sheng Brother Chi, do you know what's going on?"

He had expected Sheng Chi to be worried too.

But Sheng Chi stared at the person onstage and replied expressionlessly, "I don't know."

Jiang Yu couldn't help shivering. He whispered to Xu Linyuan, "Do you think Sheng Brother Chi poisoned him? He wouldn't go that far, would he?"

Xu Linyuan said, "..."

When the performance ended, Gu Zhijing bowed but didn't return to the trainees' seats.

Impatient as ever, Jiang Yu wanted to go straight out and find him, but Xu Linyuan stopped him. "He must have his reasons for not coming back."

He glanced toward the entrance. "It doesn't look like a physical problem. Let him have some time alone."

Sheng Chi didn't say another word the entire time.

Gu Zhijing didn't return until the final rankings were announced, when he joined all the other trainees onstage.

He kept his head slightly lowered, staring blankly at the tips of his shoes.

The stage spotlights made his neck burn.

His palms were slick with sweat, and he didn't dare raise his head.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he heard Fei Yue's voice.

It came with a faint sigh, as if drifting from far away.

"Ninth place."

"Gu Zhijing."

Around him, there were