12 Past
It was only when Song Qixian entered the recording studio that he truly felt what Zhou Heyu meant by the terrible atmosphere.
President Cui is still the same President Cui, but now there is no smile on his face, and he has a rather intimidating aura without even getting angry.
Choi Byung-hee nodded to Song Qixian who had just entered, signaling him to get ready.
Song Qixian took a deep breath, put on his headphones, and shouted out his first line of lyrics in the quiet and empty recording studio.
"Ready! Ready! Ready!"
Ming Shangyu pressed the pause button, "Qixian, be more emotional when you shout it out, let's do it again."
Song Qixian made an OK gesture, then he held his breath in his heart, and released all the breath after the music started.
"Okay, let's record the next one."
…
It took a whole day to record the two songs. The songs hadn't been processed yet, so Song Qixian had no idea how well he performed.
However, it was only now that he felt that he was already an idol.
Embarking on a path he had never imagined, Song Qixian had considered the consequences of failure. The worst-case scenario was losing fans and earning no payouts. But what did that matter? It wouldn't be any worse than his previous life.
Since they were about to shoot a music video, everyone had to start watching their weight, so everyone was so hungry that they were dizzy and huddled together, unable to say a word.
The five of them returned to the dormitory like zombies, and they comforted each other: Go to sleep, you won’t be hungry when you sleep.
However, the actual situation was not as easy as they thought. At least Song Qixian had never entered a deep sleep.
In the middle of the night, Song Qixian heard rustling sounds in the room. He opened his eyes and saw that it was indeed another "big rat" in the room.
Park Yoo-eun squatted in the corner, rummaging through his bag excitedly. He remembered that there was an energy bar left at the bottom, which he had thrown in last week when he didn't finish eating at home. Now this energy bar has become a life-saving straw, able to save a teenager who is about to starve to death.
After finally finding it out, Park Yoo-eun held it up and looked at it affectionately as if she was seeing her dream lover. But unexpectedly, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and snatched the energy bar away.
Song Qixian admired Park Yoo-eun's face-changing performance and felt that he could also go to film.
Park Yoo-eun was very unhappy, but he knew he was not right, so his expression kept changing. In the end, his stomach won over his brain, and he blinked his big eyes pitifully, trying to melt Song Qixian's cold heart.
"Qixian, I'm so hungry, can you give me that thing?"
Of course Song Qixian couldn't give it to him, otherwise someone would cry and make a fuss when he woke up tomorrow morning because he had stolen food last night.
In order to divert his attention, Song Qixian suggested: "Why don't we go check on the neighbors next door? They might be as hungry as we are and can't sleep."
Park Yoo Eun was angry because he didn't get the energy bar, and Song Qixian coaxed him: "I think you have become more handsome, really, more handsome than yesterday."
With someone's coaxing, Park Yoo-eun reluctantly agreed to go next door, but she was still listless.
They knocked on the door next door. The basement was exceptionally quiet and cold late at night, reminiscent of a scene from a horror movie. So Park Yoo-eun secretly grabbed Song Ki-hyun's lower garment.
The door opened with a click, and Shen Minghe asked them in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Song Qixian shook his head and asked him, "Are you all asleep?"
Shen Minghe's eyes showed a look of sympathy, "No, I'm too hungry to sleep." He opened the door and let the two in.
There were two beds in the room. One was a bunk bed, with Zhou Heyu lying on the upper one, headphones on, and the lower one was Shen Minghe's. The other bed was Ming Shangyu's, who was reading by the small bedside lamp.
Seeing Song Qixian and others coming in, Zhou Heyu turned over and got out of bed. He accidentally stepped on empty air and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, with his super strong arm strength, he stabilized his upper body.
Zhou Heyu waved his hand, signaling Song Qixian and the others not to help him. He got out of bed and sat directly on Shen Minghe's bed, leaving space for Song Qixian and Park Youen to sit as well.
Three men, each 1.8 meters tall, squeezed onto a small, 1.2-meter-tall single bed. Song Qixian sat on Zhou Heyu's left and Park Youen's right. As for Shin Minghe, he sat on the only stool in the dormitory.
Song Qixian had experienced hunger before. When he was the hungriest, he would get up in the middle of the night and drink a bellyful of water, so he could resist hunger. Ming Shangyu was also okay. He had strong self-control, so a little hunger was not a problem for him.
The other three were in a miserable state. They had never intentionally controlled their diet, and their bodies were still in the growth stage, so they could eat as much as a cow. So the current situation was even more difficult.
Zhou Heyu was so hungry that he was in a daze and even missed a step when getting out of bed.
Leaning on a rod of the crib, Zhou Heyu told everyone about his life before he was thirteen years old.
"Before I was thirteen, I lived in China, at my grandmother's house. My Chinese name was given by my grandfather. It was a very happy time. My grandmother lived in the countryside, and they had a big yellow dog. After school, the big yellow dog would wait for me at the school gate to take me home. My grandmother made all kinds of delicious dishes, such as fried meatballs, stuffed dumplings, and leek boxes... When my mother came home during the holidays, she would take me to the city for hot pot. By the way, have you ever had hot pot? Put a piece of hot pot base in the pot, add water, and you can add all kinds of ingredients. The best is tripe! It's crispy and tender. I also like pig intestines and pig intestines. The taste is so delicious that you want to come back again. Fried crispy pork is also a must-have for hot pot..."
Zhou Heyu became increasingly excited as he spoke, and Song Qixian quickly interrupted him, thinking something was wrong. Why were they talking about food again?
Park Yoo-eun suddenly asked: "Hot pot? Is it Haidilao?" He clumsily spelled out the name of a hot pot restaurant.
Zhou Heyu's eyes lit up and he answered happily, "Yes, yes, but the hot pot at Haidilao is not authentic. When I have the chance in the future, I will take you to China to eat the most authentic hot pot."
His voice became louder, and Ming Shangyu on the other bed coughed intentionally or unintentionally.
There was no need to talk about hotpot anymore. The more he talked about it, the harder it would get. Song Qixian began to confess his life story.
Song Qixian had never spoken to anyone about his situation since he was a child. He had grown up in an orphanage, so this wasn't a big deal, but he didn't want to gain sympathy or help from others because of it.
President Choi had never told anyone else about Song Qixian's background, so Park Yoo-eun and the others just thought that Song Qixian's family was very poor.
Now that they are about to become teammates fighting side by side, Song Qixian feels it is time to reveal his own story.
“I grew up in an orphanage.”
He dropped the bomb so casually that even Ming Shangyu looked up at him, not to mention the other three.
Zhou Heyu immediately remembered that he had always teased Song Qixian for not going home. It turned out that he had no home, and he suddenly felt guilty.
Zhou Heyu's behavior made Park Youen feel even more guilty because he remembered how he treated Song Qixian when he first came.
Shen Minghe jumped in front of Song Qixian and looked at him with a curious look: "Wow, how did you live in the past?"
Seeing that several people were looking at him with completely different eyes than before, Song Qixian couldn't help but clarify: "Hey, don't think that I'm having a miserable life. I'm the same as you."
Zhou Heyu and the other two questioned in unison: "Really?"
When Song Qixian first arrived, no one looked more miserable than him. He had only two sets of old clothes, his phone screen was so broken that the words on it were barely legible, and he had to work part-time every night while others were resting.
Well, that's true, but that's because the circumstances were special.
Song Qixian explained, "I am actually rich, but something happened a while ago. My sister Xiaoai fell ill, and I sent all the money I had back home, so I live a simple life."
Everyone: Oh.
Zhou Heyu asked again: "What's wrong with you?"
Song Qixian's voice remained steady as he said, "Leukemia."
Leukemia? Isn't it also known as blood cancer? I heard it's difficult to cure, and even if you can, it costs a fortune.
Everyone was silent after hearing the news. After a while, Park Yoo Eun said, "Can I donate some money? Just think of it as me wanting to help my little sister."
"Yes, yes, I want to donate too. My parents give me a lot of pocket money, and I donate it all to her."
"Let's give you the money, and you can just pay it back."
Song Qixian smiled and thanked everyone for their kindness, saying, "Xiao Ai's prognosis is very good. The hospital has applied for assistance, and she doesn't need any help for the time being. Thank you."
Seeing that no one was talking, Song Qixian felt a little regretful about saying this, so he took the initiative to say: "Aren't you curious about what my life is like?"
Knowing that Song Qixian was trying to change the subject, Zhou Heyu cooperated and said, "I'm curious, but I guess it should be both hard and happy."
Song Qixian smiled and replied, "Yes, actually I'm pretty much the same as you. I also have a mother, and many brothers and sisters. We lived in a big family, and after school we would all play games together in the yard. I still remember that their favorite game was "Eagle Catches Chicken," and I was the mother hen."
It sounds like a normal life, but Song Qixian actually omitted many things. For example, after school, his most common activity wasn't playing, but working. Or, for another example, life in the orphanage was no better than life today. There were mottled, leaky ceilings, rickety beds, and no meat or fish in the meals. Many children in the orphanage fell ill from the chronic lack of vegetables and meat.
Every child living in an orphanage is missing out on a lot in their childhood.
Most children who come out of orphanages are as sensible as Song Qixian. They yearn for all kinds of affection, but also have a strong sense of unworthiness.
Lacking the companionship of a normal family, they become apathetic and introspective, a sentiment that will stay with them throughout their lives.
【Author’s words】
How many people are [turning] their single-player life into a
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