The other trainees glared at him angrily, but none of them dared to say anything.
They dared to cause such a commotion before largely because the show's cameramen and directors wanted to protect the cameras and props.
But the people behind Qiao Xia were different. They were all tall and strong, and looked very professional. They would definitely beat them to death, and if they angered them, they might dismember them and dump their bodies.
Everyone was startled by their own imagination. Although they remained standing there with their necks stiff, no one dared to say a word.
Young Master Mu scoffed disdainfully, pulled up a chair, and sat down opposite Qiao Xia. "I object. I want to terminate the contract."
"Okay," Qiao Xia agreed, not giving him a chance to speak, and continued, "Who else wants to terminate their contract?"
The group of people who had been fawning over Young Master Mu exchanged glances and stepped forward.
Qiao Xia didn't comment, but simply asked, "Is there anything else?"
Five minutes passed, and no one else stepped forward. Qiao Xia looked at the people in front of her and smiled, "Go to President Wang's office later to pay the penalty for breach of contract, and then you can withdraw from this program."
Everyone except Young Master Mu was starting to panic.
One of the boys, who had delicate features, trembled slightly and mustered his courage to speak: "It was your program that breached the contract. You didn't even provide accommodation. Why should we pay a penalty for breach of contract?"
Upon hearing this, many who had not yet spoken out echoed his sentiments.
Qiao Xia remained silent, her gaze calmly sweeping over them. Only after everyone quieted down did she speak: "I only asked you to change your accommodations. When did I say that I would no longer provide accommodations?"
No one spoke, but their expressions remained defiant.
The delicate-looking boy mustered his courage again and spoke up, "The platform has even taken away our accommodations, so we can't broadcast any more recordings. What's the point of keeping us here?"
Qiao Xia then took a serious look at the boy. She had some impression of him; his name was Su Jiu, and he and Mu Xiaozhe were a popular couple online. Last time at the event, he even ranked higher than Mu Xiaozhe.
Although he appears timid, he is actually very intelligent.
It's true that the platform reclaimed the house used for filming, but the fact that it can't be broadcast is just his speculation. However, he used a bit of linguistic skill to make it seem like the program's failure to air was a foregone conclusion.
As the producers, their actions of preventing them from leaving are reprehensible, and no matter how Qiao Xia explains that the show can be broadcast, it is hard to believe.
Therefore, she didn't try to persuade them, saying, "If you want to leave, you can leave anytime as long as you pay the penalty. I won't stop you."
Before he could speak again, Qiao Xia interrupted, "I know Young Master Mu is rich. You can pay the breach of contract fees for everyone here. I promise I won't stop you."
"You—" Mu Xiaozhe's face turned red with anger.
Everyone else, however, turned their attention to him with expectant eyes. Mu Xiaozhe, of course, would not do something so thankless, and besides, he didn't have that much money.
Su Jiu stepped forward again, "This is not fair..."
"What's unfair about it? So far, we haven't violated any contracts. It's you who are unwilling to fulfill your responsibilities. Paying the penalty for breach of contract is only right and proper, isn't it?"
Su Jiu stopped talking, but Qiao Xia had no intention of letting him off the hook. "Young Master Mu is rich and powerful. No matter how much trouble he causes, the Mu family will back him up. Are you sure you want to follow him down this dark path?"
Qiao Xia glanced at her watch. "There are still 20 minutes until 12 o'clock. Pack your bags and gather here within 20 minutes, otherwise I will assume that you have voluntarily withdrawn from the program and will sue you for breach of contract first thing tomorrow morning."
At this moment, Jiang Xiaomian had already packed her luggage and was standing behind Qiao Xia.
The crowd fell silent for a moment, and then a long-haired boy took the lead and went back to his dormitory to pack his things.
"Sun Hao—"
Sun Hao didn't even turn his head in the face of the crowd's shouts. This was his third year participating in the talent show and his tenth year as a trainee.
The idol industry is all about youth, and this time he finally got selected to participate in the show as an individual trainee.
If he incurs breach of contract penalties, even fewer companies will be willing to cooperate with him in the future. He doesn't have much time to waste, so finishing the recording of the show is the way to minimize the damage.
With Sun Hao taking the lead, the others followed suit and started walking towards the dormitory.
Qiao Xia's eyes lit up; she had noticed him when she watched the performance last time.
She covered her mouth with her hand and asked softly, "Who is he?"
Jiang Xiaomian had mixed feelings. He was happy that Sister Qiao had taken the initiative to talk to him, but he also felt a little sour because she asked about someone else. Even his words were tinged with sourness. "His name is Sun Hao. He's the best among us."
Qiao Xia nodded in agreement. Sun Hao's appearance was unremarkable among the handsome men and beautiful women in the entertainment industry.
This kind of inconspicuousness is more terrifying than ugliness. Ugliness with distinctive features can still arouse discussion among the audience, but this kind of ordinariness can't even make a splash.
Despite not being particularly good-looking, he barely made it into the debut lineup in the last performance.
In Qiao Xia's opinion, the three most outstanding performers in the last performance were Jiang Xiaomian, Mu Xiaoze, and Sun Hao. Jiang Xiaomian's appearance and gloomy temperament were a plus, while Mu Xiaoze's rich second-generation aura and cool attitude naturally attracted a wave of viewers who admired him.
Besides having participated in many talent shows and become a familiar face to the audience, Sun Hao's skills are truly remarkable.
In this draft, he may not be the strongest in any particular area, but he is definitely the most consistent and versatile player among all the candidates.
As the two were talking, most of the people had already left, leaving only Young Master Mu and Su Jiu standing in the same spot.
Qiao Xia felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward, so she took out a QR code and waved it, "Since you two aren't planning to pack your bags, why don't you pay the penalty for breach of contract?"
Su Jiu looked to Mu Xiaoze for help, hoping he could ask her to pay the penalty for breach of contract.
He has always been very popular. According to his plan, whether the production team provides him with resources to keep him or he takes the opportunity to switch to another program, it will be beneficial to him, but the premise is that there can be no breach of contract penalty.
His words had already offended the woman in front of him, and if he stayed, he would definitely be retaliated against. So he could only hope that Young Master Mu would take him away for the sake of their shared fate. With the Mu family backing him up, he would still have hope in the future.
Unfortunately, he's really throwing a tantrum at a blind man. It doesn't matter whether Mu Xiaoze leaves the show or not; he's just doing what his brother says to cause trouble for Qiao Xia.
Since leaving wouldn't cause any trouble, then of course he should stay. So Young Master Mu said arrogantly, "Those things are fine to throw away, I don't care."
Qiao Xia looked at Su Jiu, who was frozen in place, and asked, "What about you?"
"I...I'll go pack now." Su Jiu ignored her embarrassment and quickly walked towards the dormitory.
With only 10 minutes left until midnight, Su Jiu was really afraid that Qiao Xia would deliberately not wait for him, so he didn't dare to waste a second and hurriedly dragged his luggage out.
Qiao Xia's actions were anything but discreet, and as a result, news of the trainees moving dormitories spread online that very night.
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