Chapter 4 The Fourth Day of Starting a Business

If her idle talk was that effective, why bother with a solo? She could just aim for billions straight away.  

Opening a Martial Arts School would be a breeze, becoming a seafood tycoon would be within reach, and she could probably buy several seafood markets, right?  

“Xia Xi?”  

The manager’s slightly puzzled voice pulled Xia Xi back to reality.  

With a devout wish, Xia Xi opened her eyes.  

Ah, nothing was in front of her—just the clean floor.  

Xia Xi felt a little disappointed, but it also proved a point: don’t indulge in unrealistic fantasies. Only hard work and perseverance can create wealth!  

Next, during the warm-up song selection, Xia Xi picked *Love Fight Will Win* for herself.  

As the lyrics *”Three parts destiny, seven parts effort”* played, Xia Xi ran through her warm-up, while the other trainees looked at her as if they’d seen a ghost. Why were these soon-to-debut female Idols listening to such an old song?  

Xia Xi trained with full focus, completely absorbed.  

Rui Ziyue watched her with a complicated expression, her gaze lingering. She had a million questions she wanted to ask Xia Xi, but in the end, she didn’t take that step.  

Outside the practice room.  

“What kind of person is she, really?”  

The manager could see what all the trainees were doing inside and their current state. Even after years in this position, she couldn’t help but study Xia Xi.  

She still remembered the scene when Xia Xi had first approached her.  

*”I don’t want what isn’t mine. I don’t want to climb over others to get ahead.”*  

Never mind that Xia Xi and Rui Ziyue weren’t exactly close friends—even if they were, wasn’t backstabbing just part of the game in this industry?  

The manager wasn’t sure whether such integrity was a blessing or a curse—whether it would propel Xia Xi to the top or drag her into the abyss.  

But replacing Rui Ziyue’s part wasn’t suitable for Xia Xi right now. Xia Xi was improving too fast; the others were gradually being reduced to her backup dancers. The decision to switch her to a solo had been made after discussions among the higher-ups.  

It was better for both the company’s other trainees and Xia Xi herself.  

Xia Xi had no objections to being pulled from the group dance and given a solo. To her, it was probably just switching from team combat to solo combat. (?)  

……  

In the heart of the city’s most bustling district, skyscrapers pierced the clouds. At the very top, in the office with the best view, sat Lu Chen, CEO of the Lu Corporation.  

*On lease.*  

The man behind the desk wore a sharply tailored high-end suit, an expensive pen in hand. Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, he looked up and asked his assistant in a deep voice, “Why haven’t I heard anything about Xia Xi lately?”  

“Didn’t I instruct you to block her occasionally but let her through sometimes? Not to keep her out entirely.”  

Lu Chen wasn’t someone who indulged in games, but he was still human—not a work machine. He needed amusement, and for now, that deceitful, pretentious Xia Xi hadn’t completely lost his interest.  

The assistant replied respectfully, “My apologies, Mr. Lu. We’ve kept that in mind, but Miss Xia Xi hasn’t come even once.”  

Lu Chen thought he’d misheard. *Xia Xi hadn’t come even once?*  

Impossible.  

He opened his phone—the last eager message from her was days ago. This wasn’t normal behavior. Lu Chen refused to believe she’d give up on a high-value “catch” like him.  

But soon, a knowing smile spread across his cold, handsome face.  

He beckoned to his assistant. “Come, take a photo of me.”

She must be throwing a tantrum. It was partly his fault for ignoring Xia Xi for so long, and he was barely willing to lower his head this once.

Lu Chen directly used that photo as his WeChat profile picture.

He was sure Xia Xi would understand his meaning. He was a man of few words and didn’t want to explain too much. What he had done for her already crossed his bottom line—she should be flattered by his gesture and come running to him with concern the next second.

One second passed, and there was no movement on WeChat. A hundred seconds later, still nothing.

“…” Did she not see it?

The usually taciturn Lu Chen decided to give Xia Xi another chance, though he still refused to type anything. So he sent her a—

Cat peeking emoji.

Then, with perfect timing, he withdrew it before the two-minute expiration.

A heavy low-pressure system hung over Lu Corporation. The employee reporting work trembled in fear before finally mustering the courage to remind him.

“President Lu, your alarm went off again.”

The coldly handsome man lowered his head with practiced ease, turned off the alarm, and deleted the emoji. The WeChat page was now filled with a single line of unilateral notifications: [You withdrew a message].

“…”

Lu Chen had had enough. What on earth was Xia Xi doing? He decided to be direct.

[X City Fish No. 1 – Lu Chen]: Girl, that’s me in the profile pic. Not satisfied?

……

Xia Xi stood in a row with her company’s trainees, undergoing pre-camp inspection.

The two-week company training had ended, and the official recording of *Pick 101* was about to begin. All 101 trainees would move into the villa arranged by the production team.

A staff member shouted through a megaphone, “Everyone, get ready in advance. Hand over all snacks and electronic devices—no phones allowed… You, take off your shoes.”

The shoes came off, revealing a hidden phone.

Trainees attempting to smuggle phones were caught one after another—whether hidden in shoes or waist-high stockings—none escaped.

The girls at the scene wailed in despair, but Xia Xi could only marvel. Useless knowledge acquired.

Who knew there were so many ways to hide a phone?

A fellow trainee from her company also groaned, “Xia Xi, won’t you die of boredom without your phone?”

Xia Xi answered with certainty, “No.” She wasn’t heavily reliant on her phone—most of her time had been spent on martial arts training anyway.

Rui Ziyue, “…” One dared to ask, the other dared to answer.

Seeing how dejected the other girl was, Xia Xi comforted her, “The training intensity will probably be high. There won’t be time for phones.” Having one or not made no difference.

Fellow trainees: Even more miserable now!

Despite their reluctance, everyone had to follow the rules and obediently hand over their phones—one, two… different brands piled up in the transparent box.

When it was Xia Xi’s turn, she spoke up, “Sorry, please wait a moment.”

The staff member squinted at the overly exquisite face before them. Was this a troublemaker resisting the phone handover?

Every year, there were uncooperative contestants like this, and the staff was mentally prepared. But before they could launch into a lecture, Xia Xi pulled out—one, two, three… a full six phones, like a magic trick.

Xia Xi politely gestured, “Done.”

Staff member: ???

Xia Xi had asked them to wait because even though she was prepared, retrieving six phones still took time.

As a qualified Sea King, multiple phones were the original owner’s tribute to the title. For Xia Xi, six phones were just a burden.

A rather heavy one.

After she had submitted everything, even her walking pace became noticeably lighter. She was probably one of the few who didn’t dislike this rule—in fact, she might even have liked it a little.

……

The company manager wondered what kind of person Xia Xi really was. If Rui Ziyue could tell the manager, she would sum it up in two words—

Werewolf.

As soon as the sky began to lighten, Xia Xi opened her eyes right on time, got up, and washed up. Her movements were quiet, not making much noise, though someone had switched beds and was already sleeping lightly.

“Is it time to film the show?” one of the trainees asked Xia Xi, bleary-eyed.

Xia Xi, already dressed, leaned in and whispered, “No, I’m going for a morning run. Go back to sleep.”

With that, she gently closed the other’s eyes with her hand. The trainee felt reassured, nodded vaguely, and soon drifted back to sleep.

Rui Ziyue, who witnessed everything from the top bunk: This is ridiculous!

Glancing at the clock, which showed it wasn’t even 5 a.m. yet: This is ridiculous!

The official filming hadn’t even started yet. This was supposed to be their rare chance to rest and sleep in—so why was Xia Xi already up at this hour?

Since the official filming hadn’t begun, there was no class division yet, so the trainees were basically assigned rooms based on their companies.

While her teammate could fall back asleep, Rui Ziyue found it impossible to stay in bed.

Meanwhile, Xia Xi—who seemed to be sparking an internal competition within the team—was dressed in a white tracksuit, tirelessly running lap after lap around the villa.

The morning air was crisp, and the morning run was a routine she had always maintained. This body, in particular, needed more training.

At this hour, few people in the villa were awake—most were still deep in sleep. Aside from Xia Xi, there was only one other person up.

Right on schedule, Xia Xi spotted the other figure in her line of sight.

This person was likely one of the 101 trainees too. Unlike Xia Xi, who wore no makeup, Morning Runner No. 2 was bundled up tightly—black tracksuit, mask, and hat all in place.

For several days in a row now, the two of them would always cross paths at a certain time, running around the villa. The other girl never greeted Xia Xi, so Xia Xi didn’t disrupt their unspoken harmony either.

Running together, listening to each other’s equally steady footsteps—that was enough.

Today, Xia Xi encountered this unfamiliar running partner again and gave her a faint smile. Whether Morning Runner No. 2 smiled back under her mask was impossible to tell, but she must have noticed Xia Xi’s gesture because she nodded in acknowledgment.

The villa’s security was thorough, as expected for protecting 101 trainees. Surveillance cameras covered every corner of the property.

The security guard on duty brewed a cup of green tea and settled in front of the surveillance screens, ready to start another pleasant day.

As usual, he spotted the two figures—one in black, one in white—chasing each other around the villa.

With dramatic flair, the guard narrated the scene, “She runs, she chases, neither can escape.”

……

Morning Runner No. 2 always finished earlier than Xia Xi, who would keep running for nearly another hour. By then, most of the villa’s trainees would be waking up.

So would the fans camped outside the villa.

Though the show hadn’t released the final lineup yet, fans had their ways. While most trainees were relatively unknown, a few already had millions of followers on Weibo.

That day, on the topic page for *K 101*, netizens begged for sneak peeks of the famous trainees’ photos but got no answers.

[But we did spot a beauty swift as the wind!]

【Goddess-level beauty, completely bare-faced, can outshine a crowd!】  

Beautiful girl, goddess-level beauty, completely bare-faced and stunning—these keywords paired with two exclamation marks are enough to grab attention.  

But netizens have grown cautious these days. No matter how excited they are, they still demand proof—pictures speak louder than words.  

【Where’s the pic? No pic, no credibility.】  

【No photo, no truth.】  

The poster responds in frustration, 【There is a pic, but it’s all blurry—that’s why I said she’s a beauty like the wind!】