Chapter 50
After his back injury healed, Ling Yao threw himself back into training with a frenzy bordering on revenge. The fear and stagnation brought on by that injury made him cherish the opportunity to dance again more than anyone else, and he desperately wanted to make up for lost time. He practically lived in the practice room, often the first to arrive and the last to leave. Sweat soaked through each piece of training clothes, and the marks on the floor recorded every effort he made.
This almost self-destructive effort paid off. His dancing power, facial expressions, and camera sense improved at a noticeable rate, and his vocal instructor also recognized the unique quality and improvement in his voice. His strength, combined with a stoic demeanor that grew increasingly somber and stern after a difficult period, quickly distinguished him from his fellow trainees, placing him at the top of the list for a new boy group's debut.
The company took notice of this rapidly rising star and began dedicating more resources to him. Specialized body management, language courses, and training in camera performance followed. At one point, a renowned stylist was even brought in to test makeup and design hairstyles for several of the prospective members. Ling Yao, staring at his meticulously groomed, almost alien self in the mirror, felt momentarily dazed.
Then came the "accidental" revealing moments on the company's official SNS account. Sometimes it was a close-up shot of sweat dripping down his jawline, revealing only his jaw and Adam's apple; sometimes it was a video of a group dance silhouetted against the darkness, his figure quickly captured by eagle-eyed fans due to the precision and power of his movements.
[The one in black! Amazing power!] [Is he Chinese? His profile is so sharp!] [Has anyone figured it out? Codename 'L'? Need more info!]
Fragmentary discussions and speculation about him began to appear in corners of the internet. A small but unusually active fan group began to gather. They called themselves "Yao Ye" and began to analyze every blurry frame like detectives, trying to piece together the true appearance of "L".
This faint starlight, like the first flame burning in the darkness, brought the long-awaited hope and attention, but it also instantly attracted countless scrutinizing gazes and cold shackles.
The agent's lectures became more frequent and harsher. She no longer simply emphasized hard work, but began to instill absolute obedience and "professionalism." "Remember your current status! Every word, every action, even every look, may be magnified and interpreted!" "Personal feelings are an absolute taboo! Especially you, Ling Yao," the agent's eyes swept over him sharply, "Do you know how many eyes are watching? Any clue may make all your previous efforts go to waste!" "Until you truly earn back the training fee for the company, you have no private life, no self, only the value of a 'commodity'. Do you understand?"
Practice rooms, hallways, dormitory common areas... everywhere, the red lights of surveillance cameras are constantly on, like eyes that never close. Assistants would occasionally "inadvertently" check their phone contacts and social media apps. Even those who were too close to other trainees, joking and laughing, would be reminded to "keep their distance and pay attention to their appearance."
Ling Yao felt an unprecedented sense of suffocation. He was like a meticulously dressed commodity about to be sent to a display stand, bound by countless invisible strings, every inch of space compressed, every breath monitored.
In this extreme depression, his longing for Su Rui grew wildly, but it completely changed. It was no longer a simple sweet longing, but was mixed with increasing panic and anxiety. He frantically flipped through Su Rui's photos on his phone, but after each look, he neurotically deleted the chat history and browsing traces.
He was afraid. Afraid that people or places that shouldn't be in the background of the everyday photos Su Rui sent him would appear. Afraid that their occasional phone calls would be monitored. Afraid that Su Rui's increasingly exciting life in South City would bring him into contact with more people, and even... forget about him. Even more afraid was that if their affairs were ever exposed, how would Su Rui face the overwhelming scrutiny, questioning, and even malice?
This panic wrapped around his heart like a vine, tightening more and more. He called Su Rui more frequently, but often didn't know what to say after the call was connected, and could only repeatedly confirm some insignificant details. "Who are you with today?" "Did the photo shoot go well?" "Is everything okay?"
His tone often carried a questioning and uneasiness that he himself was unaware of. After hanging up the phone, the overwhelming sense of guilt would overwhelm him again.
A glimmer of light appeared, and the path ahead seemed clearer, yet every step felt like treading on an icy tightrope, a bottomless abyss beneath. He clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, telling himself he had to keep going, yet he yearned deeply for that brief summer in the shabby back alleys of Country J, when they could hold hands, laugh, and take selfies.
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