Chapter Thirty-Three: Youth
"Where did you two go?" The dormitory door was wide open. Xu You was playing games in his room out of boredom, glancing up at the door every now and then. He finally caught up with Ren Yuchen and Meng Fanxi.
These two people arrived at the exact same time as him. Gu Huailang said they had something to do and went out, and wouldn't let him call them. They were practically watching him all the time, forcing him to spend most of the day with this boring person.
It's obviously a scam.
Xu You didn't even care about the game; he immediately ran to the door and dragged Meng Fanxi, who was trying to sneak back to the dormitory next door, inside. Gu Huailang heard the commotion and came in as well.
"Go save the world." Meng Fanxi sat down smugly, his mood relaxed and cheerful, his eyebrows curving and his lips never leaving his mouth.
Xu You became even more curious, his eyes wide and bright like a cute little puppy, gesturing for Ren Yuchen to speak.
Ren Yuchen had no intention of teasing him, so he simply recounted what happened after they left.
Exposing Jin Ziran's lies led Zhang Yang to decide to leave and agree to return to Weir to form a group with them...
A flicker of surprise crossed Gu Huailang's usually calm eyes.
Xu You was both devastated and furious: "You didn't even take me with you?"
He decided to unilaterally engage in a period of cold war with them.
**
In the following days, Xu You completely forgot about the Cold War. During breaks in practice, he would inexplicably smile and then ask Ren Yuchen when Zhang Yang would come to the company.
“Don’t do that,” Ren Yuchen said helplessly, “You’ll scare him away.”
Xu You: "I could scare you away but not him."
Zhang Yang resolved that matter in just one week.
A week later, dressed simply in black clothes and carrying a guitar, he returned to the Will Company.
He didn't say how the contract was terminated or how the account was frozen, and no one asked further; they were just glad to see that he was safe and sound.
Wei didn't help much when he came back this time; at most, he acted as a go-between.
Those who had witnessed Zhang Yang's abilities, led by Zhou Xingzhi, welcomed his return. In their view, Zhang Yang was too young and arrogant. His experience of venturing out into the world and finding his way back from his mistakes would be a valuable learning experience.
Of course, there will be no preferential treatment.
I'll start as a C-level trainee again.
Zhang Yang is always the most focused and aloof one in the practice room. He never chats around in the practice room, which motivates the other trainees in the C-level practice room to work harder and realize the difference in talent.
With the same force and angle, he can perform a movement with perfect control and ease.
Not to mention singing, it's a complete game-changer.
Every evening, after receiving coaching instruction in the C-level practice room, Zhang Yang would practice for about 40 minutes before leaving with his backpack.
Watching Zhang Yang's aloof and arrogant figure leave with his backpack, a C-level trainee complained indignantly, "He's accumulated so many fans on video websites, he's practically an internet celebrity, and now he's coming back to steal our opportunities."
"That's right, they're taking up our spots."
"It's so noisy," one trainee retorted. "Did someone take your spot? Do you even have the strength for an S-level?"
In the 'Chasing the Light Alliance' forum
The post about Zhang Yang's return to Weir was also pushed to the most prominent position on the forum's homepage.
Some of his long-time fans commented in the comments section:
"Sprinkle flowers!"
"Really? Really? Tell me, is it true?"
"This is the happiest thing for me recently! Zhang Yang's return to Weir is like a bird returning to the sky!"
"At least I don't have to worry about my brother being wronged by a small company."
...
Some people are worried: "Can he still form a group if he comes back now? Or will he have to debut as a solo artist?"
Another user replied: "Anyway, he's suited for the big stage. I'll wait to buy his concert tickets in the future."
Many netizens have also started conspiracy theories, such as "It is well known that Young&Rich is a channel opened by two people after they terminated their contracts and left VIER. One of them returned to VIER and his account was frozen, so what about the other one?"
"He's just a marketing ploy; the whole thing about terminating his contract and then going back is just hype."
"Zhang Yang is such a publicity stunt. He's essentially a coward who broke his contract with his current company and went back to his original one."
However, these posts received very few replies and gradually sank to the bottom.
In the past few days, another thing has also caught the trainees' attention: Lin Ruohe has always been around them, but the trainees basically don't know why. No new faces have appeared in their respective practice rooms, and these discussions have gradually faded away.
It's likely that Lin Ruohe borrowed the practice room because she was preparing a surprise stage for her fans.
In fact, although Lin Ruohe's manager, Cui Du, agreed to the formation of the group, he still applied to the company for a separate training room for Lin Ruohe.
Apart from a few acquaintances, almost no other trainees knew that Lin Ruo had returned to the ranks of trainees.
Meng Fanxi agreed with this approach, as it at least prevented Lin Ruo from being criticized by other trainees. She was also quite curious about Cui Du, whom she had never met before.
Night fell over the land, and the B-level practice room was already used to two trainees leaving early at a fixed time, so they didn't pay any attention to their departure.
Meng Fanxi and Gu Huailang left one after the other, carrying their bags. Unlike before the New Year, they did not go directly to their two partners' S-level practice room in the Excellence Building.
The lounge chairs in front of the Excellence Building seemed to have their names written on them, as the two sat there leisurely chatting idly.
Meng Fanxi leaned back in his chair, frowning. "Today's song felt really difficult. I kept getting the wrong start."
Gu Huailang agreed: "Indeed, let's practice more later."
Meng Fanxi suddenly felt scared: "Have I regressed? Why do I find even B-level songs difficult?"
Gu Huailang comforted him, "Everyone is slow to get back into the swing of things after a holiday. You're not the only one who feels this way."
Meng Fanxi was frustrated. There was still no news from Wei Ye. After Qi Xiaohan and the others entered the debut group, they would no longer practice in different levels. They would train specially in the debut group practice room in Zhuoyue Building every day.
They've managed to gather all the members, but their debut is still nowhere in sight; they haven't even formed a debut group yet.
He gazed up at the twinkling stars in the night sky, hoping that Wei Ye would take his time and work meticulously.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." A handsome young man strode over from a distance.
Even after listening to Zhang Yang's voice for several days, Meng Fanxi still couldn't get used to it.
His singing voice has a natural reverb, and his speaking voice is lazy and magnetic, which is simply a blessing for voice enthusiasts.
Since Zhang Yang and Lin Ruohe joined, Wei only asked them to practice together when they had free time, and then he didn't ask any questions. He seemed to have completely let go and trusted them.
Lin Ruohe then suggested that after practicing in their respective practice rooms for a period of time each day, they would gather together in Xu You's or Ren Yuchen's S-level practice room for joint practice.
Meng Fanxi's B-level practice room is not far from Zhang Yang's C-level practice room.
Meng Fanxi extended an invitation to Zhang Yang with slight trepidation, suggesting that they meet up together before going to the Zhuoyue Building.
Zhang Yang readily agreed. After spending a few days together, Meng Fanxi's impression of Zhang Yang improved significantly. Apart from his aloof aura, he was actually a very peaceful person.
Gu Huailang gradually became able to exchange a few words with Zhang Yang, unlike before when he seemed somewhat resistant to her.
The three of them walked towards the Zhuoyue Building. There were no people loitering along the way. Meng Fanxi walked in the middle, giving him the illusion that the vast space belonged only to the three of them.
For convenience, Zhang Yang placed the guitar directly in Xu You's practice room.
As a result, Xu You trained even harder, and for the first time he felt a sense of crisis that if he couldn't maintain his grade, he would lose his practice room, which would mean he would lose his Zhang Yang guitar.
When they arrived, Lin Ruohe and Xu Youren Yuchen had already done a simple warm-up of the most basic dance, and were sitting at the bar drinking water and resting.
"Have a seat first," Lin Ruohe said, inviting them to sit down. After spending a few days together, the group had grown closer, and Lin Ruohe naturally became the leader of the small group.
Meng Fanxi also found a seat at the bar. Xu You next to her had bright eyes. In fact, Xu You's eyes would light up every time they came in from outside.
But he was very restrained in front of Zhang Yang—his treasure singer and mentor whom he wanted to learn from—so Zhang Yang didn't find Xu You strange at the moment; he might just be a little lively.
Seeing that training hadn't started yet, Gu Huailang found a spot, took out his test paper, and began working on the questions.
The future Best Actor is currently focused on preparing for his middle school entrance exam.
Meng Fanxi suddenly got interested and took out his phone to take close-ups, long shots, and videos of Gu Huailang concentrating on writing his exam paper. He thought it could be a bestseller as a memoir or anecdotes about the movie star.
The way he was fiddling with his chin and calculating on an abacus amused Lin Ruohe, who glanced at him a few times.
Zhang Yang silently stood next to Gu Huailang and helped him correct his mistakes. Gu Huailang had gotten used to his help and would ask him a few questions from time to time, which he would patiently answer.
Ren Yuchen sat to the side in a daze, his face expressionless, which was his usual expression.
Lin Ruohe then remembered that Zhang Yang would also be taking the college entrance exam in a few months, and walked over to tease him, "Why don't I see you doing any practice questions? How can you get a perfect score?"
Zhang Yang turned to the side and replied, "I don't plan to take the college entrance exam."
Unexpectedly, Lin Ruo asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"
The remaining people's eyes also focused on Zhang Yang; this didn't seem like a joke.
Zhang Yang: "The process of preparing for the exam was too long and distracted me." To avoid any misunderstanding, he added, "So I plan to apply to the Beijing Conservatory of Music in advance."
Applying to universities early is not uncommon, but it requires facing higher requirements and thresholds. Zhang Yang's musical talent is beyond doubt, and Meng Fanxi is looking forward to Zhang Yang's performance. Unfortunately, the process is not open to the public.
"You can definitely do it." Everyone had a lot of confidence in Zhang Yang, and Gu Huailang suddenly felt a lot of pressure. Now he was the only one who had to face a long exam preparation period.
Gu Huailang secretly decided that he should also apply to Xinghe High School in advance, even if it meant taking a few more exams.
After chatting for a while, Lin Ruohe signaled for everyone to gather and begin training.
Instantly, everyone stood up from their positions, stretched their bodies, and walked towards the center of the field.
Lin Ruohe had already arranged the music order for everyone to practice. After pressing the play button, she quickly slipped into the formation.
From reviewing yesterday's dance to starting the rehearsal of the new dance, everyone moved nimbly, mimicking the movements of their seniors in the practice video. The sound of their shoes rubbing against the floor was perfectly synchronized.
During this time, Zhang Yang stepped out from the group and stood at the very front, leaning against a full-length mirror, scrutinizing the overall movements with an extremely imposing presence.
It reminds me from time to time:
"Straighten your arm."
"Fixed location".
"Eyes, look ahead."
"Pay attention to your facial expressions."
I scrutinized the details again and again, and started over if I didn't do it right.
Everyone was used to this intensity and didn't complain at all, focusing intently on singing and dancing.
Tireless, sweating profusely.
As the last note of the song faded, they lay sprawled on the ground, sweat blurring their vision.
With his eyes closed, Meng Fanxi slowly moved around, relying on his memory, and found several bottles of water. Everyone passed the bottles around, and the only sounds in the room were the gulping of water and panting.
After they calmed down, they all sat together and replayed the video.
Watching the six people on the screen work together seamlessly and become one, Meng Fanxi felt as if he were floating on clouds.
This must be what passionate youth is all about.
After a week of intensive practice, Wei called the six of them to the conference room.
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