The cold wind of February brought with it fine snow, blowing away the dust of the old year and bringing new variables.

The cherry trees outside the practice room window have just sprouted some buds, but the room is filled with an atmosphere more solemn than that of winter.

The joy of the New Year had long been washed away by the brutal training.

Ouyang Guang stood in front of the floor-length mirror in the practice room. The strands of hair on her forehead were soaked with sweat and stuck to Cangqi's skin.

Just then, the door of the training room was pushed open, and Kim Min-ji rushed in with a few people.

"Everyone stop for a moment and meet the new members." Kim Min-ji's voice rang out, and the noisy practice sounds in the training room gradually disappeared.

The new members came forward one by one to introduce themselves. Kim Minseok spoke slowly and each word was full of steady power.

Lu Han’s voice was clear and his smile was brilliant, instantly bringing him closer to everyone.

What surprised Ouyang Guang the most was Do Kyung-soo's brief but sincere words. The trainee who had once left now had a little more determination in his eyes.

Finally, it was the boy with panda eyes, Huang Zitao. He scratched his head and grinned, revealing a row of neat teeth, seemingly completely unaware of the tense atmosphere at the scene.

The moment Kim Min-ji announced the elimination list, the air seemed to freeze.

"I regret to tell you that after the company's evaluation, Liu Qiangxiu will leave the debut preparatory class." Her expression was serious, and her eyes swept across everyone, finally stopping on Liu Qiangxiu.

Her voice was quiet and cold, but it hit everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.

These words were like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart.

Ouyangguang felt his head buzzing and couldn't believe his ears. He turned his head sharply and looked at Liu Qiangxiu who was standing in the corner.

He stood there, his face turned pale in an instant, his lips trembled slightly, but he could not utter a word.

Park Chanyeol took a step forward, his voice a little anxious: "Why? Haven't we already decided to debut together?"

Jin Minzhi shook her head slightly, her tone cold but firm: "The company has its own considerations. Until the day you stand on the debut stage, nothing will be known. I hope everyone understands that the competition here will never stop."

The training room fell into deathly silence, with only the occasional suppressed sobbing being heard.

Ouyang Guang watched Liu Qiangxiu quietly packing his things, and the scenes of them training together, laughing together, and sweating together kept flashing in his mind.

Jin Junmyeon walked to Liu Qiangxiu, patted his shoulder, and wanted to say something comforting, but didn't know where to start.

Finally, he just whispered: "No matter what, come on and cheer." The other members also gathered around and hugged Liu Qiangxiu goodbye.

Ouyang Guang hugged Liu Qiangxiu tightly, his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and he managed to utter a few words after a long while: "Keep in touch in the future."

After Liu Qiangxiu left, the atmosphere in the training room became particularly depressing. Everyone trained in silence, and the laughter and joy of the past disappeared.

Before everyone could recover from the sadness of separation, even bigger changes followed.

The grouping decision announced by Lee Soo-man himself caught everyone off guard: the reserve members were divided into two teams, M1 and M2, with seven members from South Korea and five members from China, forming a large men's group "Youngsters' World", and the Chinese and Korean teams will jointly carry out activities.

When the team news was announced, Cho Jin-ho was also announced to have left the debut preparatory class.

Ouyang Guang's fingers tightened unconsciously, and his nails hurt his palms.

He looked at Zhao Zhenhu opposite him. The moment their eyes met, they both understood the sadness and reluctance in each other's eyes.

Holding my group name list and looking at the words "China M2: Luhan, Wu Yifan, Zhang Yixing, Huang Zitao, Ouyang Guang", I felt mixed emotions.

Looking up, I saw Zhang Yixing's slightly furrowed brows, Wu Yifan and Lu Han's pursed lips, Huang Zitao's confused eyes, and the Korean members standing on the other side with similarly shocked expressions.

Zhao Zhenhu's departure had already caught them off guard, and now, they were forcibly torn in two.