The gymnasium—the first day of resuming recording for "Starlight".

In the dormitory, most of the trainees had gotten up, and many were discussing the resumption of recording today. There was still about a week until the second performance, and the voting rankings for the first performance would be announced in the next couple of days.

Wen Shengge kept saying all morning, "Will I be eliminated...?"

In fact, most people already have a mobile phone.

But two days ago, the crew confiscated all the phones again. The rankings could fluctuate every day. Wen Shenge has always been a rather sentimental boy, so right now, he kept muttering that his ranking was not ideal and he was very worried.

Jian Xingsui was washing up outside, while Shen Xingchen was brushing her teeth and washing her face next to her.

Shen Xingchen brushed her teeth while glancing at him, annoyed: "Why are you staring at me like that? Do I have sleep in my eyes?"

Jian Xingsui slowly shook his head. He hesitated for a moment, then finally mustered up his courage and said, "Xingchen, thank you for what happened this time!"

?

Shen Xingchen asked, "What's wrong?"

Jian Xingsui was taken aback, then explained, "It's about that, the editing by the production team."

"Oh, that thing?" Shen Xingchen rinsed her mouth with water from her glass before speaking, "Why do you care about that? I didn't even think about it."

Jian Xingsui knew that this might be just a small favor for Shen Xingchen, but for him, it was a huge problem solved. For a long time, he had been used to relying on himself, especially after An Ran appeared. No matter what grievances he had, no one would listen to him. If someone wanted to find fault, they would always find a reason. At first, he would try to explain, but later he found that it would only make him a laughing stock.

When someone suddenly helps you, your first reaction isn't happiness, but rather how to repay them and express your gratitude. For a moment, you feel a little lost.

"I still want to thank you," Jian Xingsui said softly. "You've helped me a lot."

Shen Xingchen washed her face in a basin with water, saying, "Then don't just thank me. I only called home to complain. If you want to thank someone, you should thank my parents and my brother. Oh, I heard that Brother Fu also helped out."

Jian Xingsui was taken aback: "Brother Fu?"

Shen Xingchen nodded: "Yes."

Brother Fu also contributed?

Why?

Was it because he felt that the production team had maliciously edited his image into the footage that he put in the effort?

It can't be... because of myself, right?

Shen Xingchen said, "I later heard from my brother that he hadn't seen him get so angry in a long time. I didn't expect him to get so angry because of you. He was quite frightened."

Jian Xingsui couldn't believe it: "Getting angry? Is Brother Fu angry? Because of me? That's unlikely."

Shen Xingchen wiped her face and hissed, "Why are you always so insecure? You're no worse than anyone else."

You're no worse than anyone else.

These words struck Jian Xingsui's heart like a silent hammer blow, leaving an endless echo.

Jian Xingsui choked on his words, unable to speak, unsure how to respond. But Shen Xingchen patted him on the shoulder, giving him a firm look: "Maybe you were a bit lacking before, but now you're my little brother, so you can be confident and not embarrass me."

"..."

This childish remark left Jian Xingsui feeling deeply moved and unsure how to express it.

After washing up, the group headed to the main square to gather, where the cameramen were already on standby, filming the contestants from the moment they left their dormitories.

The audience had been waiting for a long time:

"My baby, it's been so long."

"I even set an alarm to see you all."

"Haha, I'm not even this enthusiastic about dating."

"My darlings, I miss you so much when I can't see you!"

The contestants gathered in the main square, where the mentors were already waiting.

The four mentors all looked very spirited today. Teacher Li was still hosting in his cool and expensive leather jacket. Teacher Tuya looked bright and beautiful in a dress. As for Actor Fu, he was wearing a casual gray tracksuit, a classic sportswear style, but on this man, it had a stylish and noble feel.

When they entered, many students were chatting and laughing. But once they saw their mentor, Fu Yingdi, standing there, he gave them a cool glance. In an instant, most of the students fell silent. That was the power of authority.

After everyone had obediently lined up in an orderly fashion, Teacher Li finally spoke, "Hello everyone!"

The students greeted each other in unison: "Hello, teacher!"

Teacher Li said with a smile, "I heard these past few days that the production team has invited a lot of dance and vocal teachers to provide you with intensive training. You must have all suffered a lot, right?"

This has caused quite a bit of resentment.

"I'm so tired, Professor."

"I've been practicing for so many days and my legs are sore now."

"Don't even mention it."

This seemed to be exactly what Teacher Li wanted to hear. He smiled slightly and said, "So, today is our game special! Let's all play some games and have some fun. There are great prizes for the winners!"

Everyone was energized after hearing this.

Teacher Li quickly began to read out the rules of the game. As he spoke, staff members from the production crew began to bring in plates with signs in red and blue.

"In this competition, we will randomly divide more than 100 students into two camps. The two camps will be hostile to each other. You will have to steal the name tags of the other camp to add points to your own. After the competition, the two camps will start to count the points. The camp with the highest score will win. The winning side will enjoy a luxurious hot pot feast and have priority to know their current ranking in the race."

This is practically a battle royale, and the rules of this game can be summed up simply as: cause trouble.

A student raised their hand and asked, "Teacher, how do we divide it?"

Fu Jinxiao, who had been standing there lazily, picked up the microphone and answered, "Random draw, proceed in order."

If it were random, former friends might become enemies. Now, many people are looking at their friends with a meaningful look. Even the best of friends are now showing smiles that are worth noting.

Shen Xingchen said to Jian Xingsui, "You decide which one to draw, it has to be the same color as mine, understand?"

Jian Xingsui told him the cruel truth: "It all depends on luck, there's no point in telling you."

"How do you know we won't get it?" Shen Xingchen said resentfully. "Do you think our luck is that bad?"

"..."

Everyone was queuing up to draw lots. When it was Jian Xingsui's turn, he went into the bucket and grabbed a ball. In the end, he drew a blue ball. Shen Xingchen, who was behind him, unsurprisingly drew a red one.

Jian Xingsui smiled helplessly and said, "We'll see."

"How could this happen?" The young master looked at the red ball with dissatisfaction. He glared at Jian Xingsui threateningly, put his hands on his hips, and said, "Fine, you are now my enemy, a traitor to our camp. Just wait, I'll definitely rip your name tag off!"

Jian Xingsui said, "Why are you targeting me?"

Shen Xingchen said matter-of-factly, "It's because you didn't draw with me."

...

This person is so domineering, I can't reason with them.

After almost all the players had been assigned to their respective teams, the situation gradually became clear. As it turned out, Jian Xingsui was indeed the unluckiest of all. All the dorm rooms had red balls, and he was the only one with a blue ball. Moreover, according to his observation, An Ran was also on the blue team.

One student asked, "Mentor, are you participating too?"

Tuya smiled and said, "Participate! Although we can't tell you our colors yet, we can tell you that our name tags will be worth double the points!"

His words caused a stir among those around him.

The trainees were in an uproar. Double the points! What else could the production team be doing but stirring things up with this setup?

What a temptation! The mentor's badge is so expensive. Who wouldn't be tempted by a badge that offers double points? But who would actually dare to tear off the mentor's badge? That would take a lot of guts.

The viewers in the live stream became increasingly excited:

"Let's cause trouble!"

"Haha, I want to see how Brother Fu tears off the cards."

"GKDGKD!"

The program crew led everyone outside the sports stadium and said, "You will enter the sports stadium in batches according to the order drawn by lot. All the rooms and passages here will serve as your cover. Now we will open the Star Bean exchange system. Students with Star Beans can exchange them for weapons for self-defense."

The table was overflowing with a dazzling array of items.

For example, there are water guns, smoke bombs, glue, toy balls, binoculars, ropes, bells, and so on. Each star bean has a different price, and wealthy people can buy more.

Shen Xingchen was arguably the richest. He quickly gathered his roommates and fellow trainees to form a small team, and they were currently distributing supplies. They bought almost every kind of item. Jian Xingsui, on the other hand, was relatively poor. After thinking for a moment, he only bought a smoke grenade.

Teacher Li said, "10 seconds left in the countdown, the competition is about to begin...!"

The atmosphere at the scene inexplicably began to become somewhat tense.

Jian Xingsui was in the second batch to enter. The hall was empty, and she didn't see a single person. However, she could faintly hear someone wailing from the third floor not far away. After a while, the female voice broadcasting the announcement echoed throughout the gymnasium: "Contestant No. 57, Zhang Jianshen, is eliminated. The Red Team gets one point."

Some people's name tags have already been torn off.

Jian Xingsui glanced at the blue name tag on his waist and sighed heavily. As far as he knew, the two groups of people who entered the venue were almost all in teams, and he was the only one acting alone, so it was unrealistic to fight them head-on, and he could only play it safe.

"I'd better find a place to hide," he thought.

The first place that comes to mind is the cafeteria.

There are plenty of seats there, so if someone comes in, they'll bump into them no matter how careful they are, which can serve as a warning. Also, there are many doors to the kitchen, so even if someone is exposed, the chances of escaping are relatively high. In addition, the kitchen has a wide field of vision, making it a good place for both offense and defense.

Having made up his mind, Jian Xingsui didn't hesitate and immediately got up and rushed to the kitchen. The third batch of trainees hadn't come in yet, so there weren't too many people. As long as he was careful enough not to run into anyone from the Red Team, everything would be fine.

You can't take the elevator; there might be someone guarding it.

Jian Xingsui didn't chase away the fire escape. Instead, he took a detour and ran up a nearly unused staircase on the other side. His steps were very light, and he barely dared to breathe heavily. Finally, he reached the kitchen safely. Just as he was thinking about where to hide, suddenly—"Squeak!"

The sound of the door opening rang out again.

Jian Xingsui turned around and met An Ran's gaze as she entered. The two looked at each other, and there was an awkward silence.

An Ran smiled and pointed to the name tag on her waist: "Don't be nervous, I'm also on the blue team."

Jian Xingsui still looked at him warily, but An Ran comforted him, saying, "We're teammates now, Xingsui, don't you trust me?"

Jian Xingsui stood still: "Are you going to hide here too?"

"That was my initial thought." An Ran was pretty and fair-skinned. When she spoke softly, she gave people the feeling that she needed to be protected and that she had no bad intentions. She said gently, "But now I think I'll find another place."

They both had cameras on their heads.

Although the photographer wasn't filming, the entire stadium was equipped with surveillance cameras to broadcast the event to the audience. For An Ran to say such things at this time is truly despicable.

Jian Xingsui said, "You can hide here if you want, I didn't say you couldn't come."

An Ran, however, looked like she knew exactly what he was thinking, and gently shook her head, as if to say, "I'd better leave. There are too many people here, and it won't be easy for you to hide."

Jian Xingsui didn't say anything. Seeing that An Ran was about to leave, he also turned around and went to the innermost part to find a place to hide.

Now that they're on the same side, there's really no need to doubt others too much. He can't care about that anymore; he can't rely on anyone but himself.

An Ran stood outside. He pulled the cafeteria door shut and was about to leave when, as if remembering something, he didn't close the door completely, leaving a tiny gap that might not be noticeable from the camera lens.

...

Not long after

The third group of personnel has arrived.

Shen Xingchen led Ning Ze, Wen Shenge, and the others up to the second floor. He waved his hand like a bandit leader: "Search! Search everything!"

The searches mainly targeted libraries and practice rooms, and announcements were constantly made through the mechanical voices during this time:

"Trainee number 32 is eliminated, and the Blue Team gains one point."

"Contestant number 5, Jia Chi, is eliminated, and the Blue Team gains one point."

“Student number 6…”

After listening, Shen Xingchen cursed under his breath: "A bunch of useless trash, they still need me to carry them. I don't believe the Blue Team is that capable. I hope I don't run into them."

Wen Shenge came over and said, "I couldn't find it."

A group of people happened to be passing by the cafeteria.

Shen Xingchen asked in bewilderment, "Where did Jian Xingsui go?"

Wen Shengge: "You're hiding, aren't you?"

"That kid's really good at dodging." Shen Xingchen scoffed, but stopped abruptly as he was about to pass by. "The cafeteria's open today? Why is this door open?"

Ning Ze said, "There might be someone inside."

Upon hearing that something could happen, Shen Xingchen immediately became excited: "Let's go in and take a look!"

The door was pushed open, and Shen Xingchen swaggered in, even kicking a chair that was in the way. The loud noise echoed in the cafeteria. Three or four people followed behind him. The group was searching very carefully, and just when they were about to find Jian Xingsui's hiding place, right under everyone's noses, a nimble figure slipped past the counter and ran straight to the back door.

Wen Shenge shouted, "They ran away!"

Shen Xingchen picked up her water gun: "Why are you running?!"

Jian Xingsui thought to herself, "Isn't that obvious? If I don't run, I'll just wait to be ganged up on." Fortunately, the back door led to a secluded stairwell, so she could run very fast. Her stamina had improved considerably from practicing dance recently, and she ran as if she were flying. She skipped two or three steps at a time.

Shen Xingchen shouted from behind, "Are you a horse? How can you run so fast?"

Jian Xingsui quickly left them a floor behind. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he saw another team of red team members around the corner. They were also surprised to see Jian Xingsui. After a few seconds of staring at each other, Li Xu'an shouted first, "Grab him!"

Jian Xingsui took off running.

Because he was panicking and had no choice but to keep going up, he knew that if he stopped, he might be caught. Seeing that he was about to reach the rooftop, Jian Xingsui had no choice but to jump and grab the stairs that were hanging halfway up the wall. He quickly climbed up and grabbed the rooftop cover to block the way.

"call……"

Sweat dripped onto the lid like rain. He was finally able to stop, panting heavily, and slumped to the ground. When he looked up, he met the gaze of a man standing on the rooftop, leaning against the wall and smoking.

Jian Xingsui's expression froze.

Fu Jinxiao leaned against the railing, the movie star dressed casually with his long legs casually crossed. His well-defined fingers held a cigarette, and smoke slowly escaped from his lips. He tilted his chin up, and his handsome face appeared mature and charming in the light and shadow, exuding a lazy sexiness.

Jian Xingsui's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.

Fu Jinxiao raised an eyebrow: "What are you doing...?"

Before Jian Xingsui could speak, a knocking sound came from the door cover. Shen Xingchen started yelling, "Jian Xingsui, open the door! Don't hide up there and not make a sound! I know you're in there! What are you doing in there? Are you keeping some random guy? If you're so capable of meeting up with random guys, then open the door!"

"..."

Jian Xingsui's lips twitched.

Hearing this, Fu Jinxiao, who was not far away, also looked at Gai Zi. He narrowed his eyes dangerously and slowly curled up a smile that looked ominous.

Shen Xingchen clearly didn't know who was inside, nor did she realize the impending doom she was in, and she was still shouting.

Seeing that the lid was about to come loose, Jian Xingsui hurriedly looked at Fu Jinxiao and said, "Teacher Fu, let's run!"

Fu Jinxiao raised an eyebrow: "Run?"

Unlike them, popular contestants like Shen Xingchen have cameramen with them. Jian Xingsui hurriedly said, "If they come up and film you smoking, it won't be good. People will definitely use it to make a fuss online, which won't be good for your reputation. Let's run before the lid is opened."

Fu Jinxiao opened her lips, about to speak, when the lid showed signs of loosening.

The movie star originally wanted to express that he wasn't afraid of being photographed at all, but Jian Xingsui, who was eager to protect his master, rushed over and grabbed Fu Jinxiao's hand in a panic, saying, "I remember there seems to be an emergency exit on this rooftop. Let's run quickly. Xingsui still has a water gun!"

The lid thumped loudly, it couldn't hold on any longer, and was finally opened.

Shen Xingchen was the first to climb up. Because he had been chasing Jian Xingsui, Jian Xingsui, who should have been ignored, was now constantly in the spotlight and getting attention. When he reached the rooftop and didn't see anyone, he waved his hand and said, "She must have run away through the other exit. Hurry up and chase her!"

A group of people then rushed towards another corridor.

Jian Xingsui pulled Fu Jinxiao down from upstairs. Before they could even stand still, they saw a group of people running down the corridor.

Shen Xingchen started spraying water from a distance: "Where do you think you're going? Why did you bring a helper? No problem, I'll take you both down too!"

Water sprayed over, and Jian Xingsui quickly pulled Fu Jinxiao to keep running. Fortunately, there was a room with an open door around the corner, so they quickly ran in, turned around and closed the door. After a while, they heard hurried footsteps outside. Shen Xingchen and his group had left.

Jian Xingsui finally breathed a sigh of relief: "They're finally gone."

A voice drifted slowly from the side: "Is it over?"

Jian Xingsui nodded, panting, "It's over."

"Can I let go now?" Fu Jinxiao's voice carried a hint of teasing.

Jian Xingsui stiffened, his head lowered stiffly, and he saw that he was tightly gripping the actor's hand. He hadn't noticed in his panic, but now he truly felt the warmth of their hands clasped together. He quickly let go and hurriedly stammered an apology: "I'm sorry!"

Fu Jinxiao withdrew her hand, which had been gripped so tightly it was slightly red, and said slowly, "It's nothing to be sorry about, but next time you can be a little gentler. I'm not going to lose you, why are you gripping so tightly?"

next time……

For some reason, Jian Xingsui felt both ashamed and indignant, and her heart was pounding. She stammered and didn't know what to say.

Fu Jinxiao seemed quite at ease, and said, "Why is your back wet?"

"Huh?" Jian Xingsui then noticed and said, "It seems like I got wet."

Just then, the sound of Shen Xingchen's footsteps returning came from outside. He kept muttering to himself about where everyone had gone, acting very arrogantly. Jian Xingsui was clearly nervous again.

Fu Jinxiao lifted his eyelids to look outside the door, his dark eyes narrowing slightly, revealing a dangerous emotion. He threw away the cigarette in his hand, curled his lips, and said to Jian Xingsui beside him, "Do you want to fight back?"

Jian Xingsui was taken aback: "Huh?"

Fu Jinxiao: "I'm asking you a question."

"I do want to," Jian Xingsui hesitated, "but I can't take on so many of them by myself."

Fu Jinxiao scoffed: "Am I not human?"

Jian Xingsui then realized what this meant. He stared wide-eyed in surprise, never expecting that he, who had always been alone, would be teaming up with his mentor!

But there's still a problem. Jian Xingsui is very worried: "Brother, you're twice as famous. If they go crazy, I'm afraid the two of us won't be able to handle it, and they also have weapons..."

While he was muttering to himself, Fu Jinxiao watched him quietly.

them

Did he subconsciously assume that Jian Xingsui was on his side after hearing her say that?

Have they forgotten that their own brand can also earn them points?

Seeing his anxious yet sincere expression, Fu Jinxiao slowly smiled. Just as Jian Xingsui was about to speak again, a pair of hands covered his head and ruffled his hair, stopping him from saying anything more. Fu Jinxiao was a head taller than him, and the man soothingly stroked his hair before speaking: "Do you think I will lose?"

Jian Xingsui's words came to an abrupt end.

Looking up, I was met with the handsome face of Actor Fu. He had a faint smile on his face, which looked so kind, but it was more like the smile of a dangerous hunter who was about to catch his prey.

“Many times, it’s not about having more people to win.” Actor Fu patted Jian Xingsui’s head: “You have to rely on this.”

Turning around, I realized this was actually the show's prop room.

However, there wasn't anything important in the room, just stage props like dresses and fans, which were basically useless. Fu Jinxiao walked to one of the walls, took down a mask, and put it on. It was a white fox mask that looked mysterious and cool. He turned around and asked, "How is it?"

Jian Xingsui nodded frantically: "It looks great."

Fu Jinxiao then asked Jian Xingsui, "Do you have any other people's brand-name items?"

Jian Xingsui actually did have one; it was one he had torn off in his haste to escape, and he was keeping it in his pocket.

Fu Jinxiao reached out: "Give it to me."

Jian Xingsui obediently gave it to him.

Fu Jinxiao took it and smiled: "You trust me that much? What if I take it and run away?"

Jian Xingsui was very certain: "You won't."

...

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Fu Jinxiao gave Jian Xingsui a deep look, said nothing, then bent down slightly and stuck someone else's name tag on Jian Xingsui's body, and said, "Now find a way to take me to your dormitory and find me a set of your training clothes."

Jian Xingsui seemed to have a pretty good idea of ​​what Actor Fu was going to do, and he said in surprise, "You, you're going to..."

"Hmm." Fu Jinxiao twirled the mask in his hand. It was just a mask, but he did it like a hunter cleaning his rifle before setting off. He glanced at him with a smirk, and at that moment, his usually lazy and smiling eyes seemed to hide a murderous intent. He slowly said, "Let's go, let's meet them."

For some reason, Jian Xingsui felt a chill run down her spine when she heard those words.

Moreover, even knowing that there were many people on the other side, at this moment, he inexplicably wanted to light a candle for Shen Xingchen.