Chapter 23: Same Room

Thinking about not seeing Xiao Chi for a week, Ji Chenxuan’s heart was feeling a little downcast. Suddenly, there was a shift, and in an instant, he heard the sound of his heart blooming with joy.

He restrained the smile that involuntarily tugged at his lips, cleared his throat lightly, and said in a reserved tone, “You’ll be doing closed training? Then just go by yourself. Could it be that you can’t sleep without me around?”

He had already started thinking about what to bring tomorrow. After all, it was just a week—some clothes and his computer would do. If he needed anything, he could just ask Zhou Tong to send it over.

Xiao Chi shook his head, speaking very considerately: “I’m worried that if I’m not around, you won’t be able to sleep.”

Ji Chenxuan laughed in spite of himself. “How could I not sleep? How long have you been here? Didn’t I sleep just fine before you came?”

Xiao Chi sighed, looking at him with sympathy. “According to my database statistics, you were the one who called me out the most in the midnight hours.”

Ji Chenxuan: “…”

“Do you want me to recite poetry to help you sleep?”

Ji Chenxuan pressed one hand to his forehead and lowered his head silently.

“Sometimes I even had to sing to you.”

Ji Chenxuan straightened his back, maintaining the authority of the head of Huanyi, tapping his fingers on the edge of the table to emphasize, “That was my VIP privilege! Do you have a problem with that?”

Xiao Chi, still in priority protocol mode, thought for a moment, then nodded, “No problem, you get to talk because you tip well.”

Ji Chenxuan’s brows twitched slightly, and he tested the waters, “So, am I still a VIP now?”

“…Hmm.” Xiao Chi hesitated, then nodded. After all, providing lodging and meals was another form of “tip,” wasn’t it?

Ji Chenxuan leaned forward slightly, resting his face on one hand, and with the faintest smirk, it was as if he had regained control of the commercial negotiation: “So, that means I can still exercise my privileges, right?”

“…Hmm?” Xiao Chi felt that something wasn’t quite right.

“Well, it’s settled then.” Ji Chenxuan smiled lowly, making his point, and then returned to eating his meal.

“???” Settled what?

Seeing Xiao Chi in a daze, Ji Chenxuan casually picked up a large piece of braised pork and dropped it into his bowl, saying nonchalantly, “Hurry up and eat, tomorrow’s training will be physically demanding.”

“Oh.” Xiao Chi was easily distracted, and Ji Chenxuan caught him with a glance from the corner of his eye, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, which quickly flattened again.

—

The next day, the sky was clear and bright.

The Hailan Cube Hotel had the most well-equipped cultural and sports training incubation center in all of Beijing. It was far from the bustling city center, quiet and serene—making it the first choice for many artists’ closed training sessions.

Of course, the price was equally high. However, for Xiao Chi, who had earned a clean million from the second-round voting battle thanks to Farewell to the Past, the cost didn’t seem too much of a strain.

Upon checking in, before the luggage had even been put into the wardrobe, Xiao Chi was immediately dragged by Liu Bing to the training hall.

As soon as they entered the room, the three men and one woman sitting on the sectional sofa turned their eyes toward him, sizing him up with a scrutinizing gaze.

Liu Bing casually introduced him to the group, “This is the new trainee I’m mentoring, Xiao Chen. What do you think? Not bad, right?”

He then turned to Xiao Chi and introduced him from left to right, “This is Professor Fang Ming, a national-level vocal coach. Qi Ge, a famous lyricist and composer. Lan Xi, the arranger for the champion of last year’s Star Show competition. This is Miss Lian Xin, who was the exclusive choreographer for several top singing and dancing stars. Oh, and this is Miss Zhang Mengmeng, former head of Xie Ting’s costume and makeup team. I’ve put in a lot of effort to bring her here.”

Each of them was a renowned figure in their respective field, yet Xiao Chi didn’t recognize any of them. He simply shook hands and greeted them politely.

Perhaps due to the difference in status, the big shots maintained indifferent expressions, neither overly warm nor cold toward Xiao Chi. It was clear they were only here because they were doing Liu Bing a face.

After a few pleasantries, Liu Bing swiftly entered work mode and, following the plan, began assigning tasks to everyone. “Morning vocal training, lunch for discussing lyrics and music adaptations, afternoon performance and dance practice, and in the evening, we’ll work on costume and makeup fittings.”

“Only 7 days until the finals—no, 6 days and 14 hours—every minute counts!”

Liu Bing rolled up the schedule he was holding and slapped it against his palm, his gaze fierce as he said, “You’re not the only one training here. I know of a few competitors who are also staying in this hotel. The one in first place, Fang Zichang, is also an all-around contestant and a major threat to you.”

“Don’t think you can slack off just because you’re talented! If I catch you slacking off this week, hmph!” Liu Bing narrowed his eyes, sneering coldly, and made a gesture across his neck.

Xiao Chi’s expression became serious, and he nodded earnestly. “I understand.”

Thus, the intense closed training officially began!

—

Professor Fang Ming had never really cared much about a talent show competition. He was here purely out of politeness to help Liu Bing, while also considering it a short vacation to relax at the hotel.

After finishing breakfast in the dining room and taking a stroll around the garden to digest, he finally arrived at the vocal training room. To his surprise, Xiao Chi was already waiting inside.

Fang Ming pushed up his black-framed glasses and nodded indifferently at him. “Good morning, young man. Liu Bing already mentioned your situation to me. He said you can maintain high-quality high notes for fifty seconds while singing and dancing? Well, that’s just how he is—always exaggerating. Anyway, let’s start with breath control training.”

With that, he took a uniquely shaped candlestick from a drawer, placed a thin piece of paper, and lit the candle, setting it on the counter. He then pressed the paper against the wall with one hand and waved to Xiao Chi. “What was your name again? Xiao…?”

“Xiao Chen,” Xiao Chi quietly reminded him.

“See these two things? I’ll let go of the paper soon, and you need to blow air at the piece of paper on the wall. Make sure your breath is steady and continuous. It shouldn’t be too strong or too weak. If the paper falls, we’ll start over. If the candle goes out, we’ll start over too. Understand?”

“I understand.” Xiao Chi had never tried this type of training before and looked intrigued, eager to give it a try.

Fang Ming said, “Alright, I’m letting go now. I’ll time it. The minimum time for each attempt should be no less than twenty seconds. If not…”

“If it’s less than that, we’ll start over, I get it,” Xiao Chi quickly replied.

As soon as Fang Ming let go, Xiao Chi took a deep breath and blew at the paper on the wall. However, his breath was too strong, and in no time, the candle was blown out.

Seeing the confused and frustrated expression on Xiao Chi’s face, Fang Ming seemed to have expected this and smiled inwardly. “Young man, don’t be in such a rush. It’s normal not to control your force the first time. Just try a few more times—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Xiao Chi had quickly relit the candle and tried again.

A long, gentle stream of breath continuously washed over the paper, like an invisible net, firmly pressing it against the wall.

The bright yellow candlelight flickered beneath his lips, at a distance neither too close nor too far. The airflow mischievously played with the flame, yet no matter how much it wavered, the flame stubbornly refused to extinguish.

Ten seconds… twenty seconds…

Professor Fang Ming counted silently on his stopwatch. When it reached thirty seconds, he glanced up at Xiao Chi in surprise. By forty seconds, his expression shifted from surprise to admiration.

The second hand ticked relentlessly, forty-five seconds… fifty seconds! The white paper still hadn’t fallen, and the candlelight burned brightly!

Xiao Chi maintained a perfectly upright posture, his abdomen drawn in, his stance as flawless as a sculpture.

Professor Fang Ming’s expression gradually froze, his eyes widening to the size of copper bells… Does this guy have bellows for lungs?!

—

Xiao Chi didn’t understand what he might have done wrong. When the morning training ended, Professor Fang Ming immediately sent him out, saying he needed some alone time.

Feeling confused, Xiao Chi scratched his head. After having lunch and a short break, the music and lyrics master, who didn’t want to be disturbed during his creative process, rejected him at the door. Xiao Chi had no choice but to follow the schedule and head to the dance studio for the afternoon training.

In the dance studio, besides him, there were several backup dancers, all handpicked by Liu Bing. Each one had a soft waist and solid foundation, and it seemed Liu Bing had gone all out—he’d found ten of them for Xiao Chi to choose from, perhaps due to the mental impact of that day.

Choreographer Lian Xin had already prepared a set of preliminary dance moves, which they would refine based on visual effects after practice.

The projection screen displayed the dance track and the lead dancer. Lian Xin glanced at Xiao Chi briefly, then emphasized, “Remember, in a team, we are one entity. If one person’s movements are out of sync in a group dance, the audience will easily notice. So, for our dance training, we follow a collective responsibility system—if one person doesn’t do well, everyone will continue to practice together until all pass!”

The backup dancers exchanged glances, concern and dissatisfaction in their eyes. As professional backup dancers, the most common issue they faced was artists not cooperating—either complaining or demanding a break.

—This is it! How much time are we going to waste with this new guy?

Seeing that Xiao Chi didn’t object, Lian Xin clapped her hands. “Let’s start! Not a minute of rest this afternoon, no one is allowed to slack off!”

—

An hour passed, and Xiao Chi’s efficient learning ability allowed him to master the entire set of movements with ease.

Lian Xin patted him on the shoulder with a satisfied smile. “You’ve got talent. Keep it up.”

Another hour passed, and Xiao Chi’s forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat. His movements remained precise and smooth, but several backup dancers began to call for a break, clearly fatigued.

After another hour, Xiao Chi was still practicing, like a tireless perpetual motion machine, while the other backup dancers—everyone had collapsed from exhaustion!

Lian Xin wiped the sweat off her forehead. “Xiao, are you tired? Do you want to take a break?”

Xiao Chi tugged the sides of his overly large T-shirt and tied it in a knot around his waist. He lightly shook his head to fling off the sweat, his face still smiling and full of energy. “I’m not tired! I’m still good to go!”

“…” We’re the ones who are tired!

Xiao Chi looked around at the exhausted faces of the others, tilting his head in confusion. “Didn’t we agree to practice the whole afternoon? You guys can’t go on anymore?”

His innocent gaze struck the hearts of the others like a small whip, as if accusing their consciences. Lian Xin felt like she might cry—oh heavens, that was just a figure of speech!

Fortunately, Lian Xin went to find Liu Bing, who finally saved everyone from their ordeal.

Looking at the backup dancers who were sprawled all over the floor, completely exhausted, and the choreographer with a fatigued expression, Liu Bing couldn’t help but twitch his mouth. “I really can’t deal with you.”

After intense physical exercise, Xiao Chi’s face was flushed, and he blinked his long eyelashes, smiling shyly. “Actually, I’m still good to go…”

“No, shut up. Please, just be a normal person!” Liu Bing begged.

—

After a full day of training, Xiao Chi returned to his room for a shower, and when he came out wrapped in a bathrobe, he felt completely refreshed.

Originally, he had booked a business room, but upon checking in, he found that, for some inexplicable reason, it had been changed to a suite.

The man who was supposed to be staying next door was now sitting on the sofa in the living room, a stack of documents spread out in front of him. Hearing Xiao Chi’s footsteps, he didn’t even look up, took a sip of his coffee, and said indifferently, “How was training today?”

“It was pretty good. But how did you get the key card to my room?” Xiao Chi sat down on the single armchair across from him.

He hadn’t noticed earlier when he was moving around, but now that his leg muscles had relaxed, a dull ache and tingling sensation began to spread, faintly running up his calves.

Xiao Chi frowned and silently massaged his leg.

“Because I booked this suite. I can’t stand staying in a business room,” Ji Chenxuan answered nonchalantly, though his eyes remained on Xiao Chi. Noticing the other’s movements, he frowned and asked, “What’s wrong with your leg?”

“It’s nothing, just a little sore. Probably from dancing too long this afternoon.” Xiao Chi yawned lazily. “The dance teacher said we couldn’t stop all afternoon, but for some reason, everyone else stopped, and their eyes were kind of weird when they looked at me.”

“You’re so honest!” Ji Chenxuan’s brows furrowed, and he glared at Xiao Chi, looking like a concerned father.

“Come here.” He tossed the unfinished papers aside, patted his own thigh, and was about to say, I’ll massage it for you—

But to his surprise, Xiao Chi, following his direction, plopped down right on his lap and gave him a strange look. “You don’t have much muscle on your legs, it’s a bit uncomfortable to sit here.”

The perfectly fine sofa was abandoned, and he had to sit on him instead. Seriously!

“……”