Chapter 17: 017
Chapter 17
A few hours ago.
The air conditioning in the practice room was very sufficient, but even so, it could not stop the trainees' crazy sweat. Sitting on the floor for a while could leave a sweat print. The collars had long been discolored by sweat.
It was just after noon, and they had been practicing ever since they came in without stopping for a minute in over two hours. If the teacher from the new trainee group hadn't come in and told them it was time to eat, they probably wouldn't have stopped.
After the noisy music stopped, all that was left was the ragged gasps. Everyone collapsed on the floor, lacking the energy to even get up. The staff from the new trainee group came in again after seeing they hadn't come out, "Don't lie down, go take a shower quickly."
After speaking, she also looked at her phone, "The teachers are coming this afternoon for the pre-check, go eat so you don't get hypoglycemia."
The few people on the ground struggled for a bit but still couldn't get up in the end.
"Alright, remember to go eat before lunch break ends!" She said before leaving, or she wouldn't make it back in time either.
Ye Xing turned to look at Chi Qiao, who was still able to stand up and clean up. He admired and exclaimed, "Your stamina is really good!"
"Yours is just too bad." Chi Qiao cleaned up his stuff, preparing to shower.
The others also struggled up from the floor one by one. Only Ye Xing was like glued to the floor without even the strength to move a finger. "...Can someone give me a hand?"
Hearing this, Pei Luming came back again and carried him up by his armpits, "Bro, your stamina really sucks."
Ye Xing was mocked with these words every day, but he wasn't annoyed. He just said, "You guys are just too fit."
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There were ten trainees in the company now, double the initial number. Each time a new person joined, the atmosphere in the practice room tensed up for a while. The original five no longer had a leisurely feeling.
It wasn't a question of whether they could debut anymore, but one of self-esteem and face, especially during lessons. Whenever the teacher praised the newer trainees, they would feel a sense of urgency.
This competitive mentality enabled the trainees' skills to grow rapidly.
...With extreme exceptions.
After lunch, Jiang Juyou first went down to meet with the new trainee department staff and teachers to grasp the current situation of the trainees.
In the meeting room, the trainees' photos were projected on the screen one by one as the teachers and staff gave feedback.
"As for Ye Xing... he's the trainee who has grown the fastest. At the start, he couldn't even keep up in class and learning the moves was very forced. Now after one lesson he can quickly absorb what the teachers teach."
"But Ye Xing still lacks dance sense. If this doesn't improve, debuting will be quite difficult."
"With that face of his, his debut spot is already guaranteed."
"Haha, that's true. We'll see based on positioning later, he can still debut as the 'face'."
Jiang Juyou didn't participate in their conversation, just listening quietly. When the dance teacher finished commenting on each trainee, the vocal teacher began her feedback too.
"To be honest, apart from Yao Shuo, the others have major issues. Yao Shuo's problem is he's only learned bel canto so far and hasn't systematically learned pop singing, but grasping this is just a matter of time, no need to worry."
"Right, this is very noticeable whenever they perform the group songs."
The teacher explained why there was a disparity, "Yao Shuo likes using his head voice when singing, especially for high notes. His timbre is clearer and more powerful, and his chest resonance is also very good. As for the others, they keep the singing contained in their mouths, as if they're not exerting any effort, so compared to Yao Shuo's parts it sounds like the volume suddenly increased."
"The problem with the rest lies in their vocalization. They haven't learned how to vocalize yet or control their volume. Their enunciation is also an issue, especially Ye Xing. He likes to enunciate each word clearly when singing, which makes it sound very stiff."
Apart from vocal and dance, the other classes were commented on by the staff. Jiang Juyou remained silent throughout the meeting, not revealing any emotions, making it difficult for the others to grasp her stance.
The meeting room door remained closed. A staff member kept an eye on the room and would notify the trainees as soon as it ended to prepare for the pre-check.
The trainees hurried to practice, striving to perform flawlessly later. But the more they did this, the more nervous they became. This was their first time performing in front of so many people since joining the company.
As the time drew nearer, their hearts pounded faster and faster, hitting 120 bpm. They couldn't even sleep last night.
Now, the closer it got to show time, the more nervous they became.
Yao Shuo clutched his chest, looking like he was about to vomit. "I can't take it anymore. I'm too nervous. I've never been like this before going on stage."
Chi Qiao, who also had stage experience, wasn't much better off either. They were about to perform, yet his legs were shaking from nerves now.
Just as they were discussing how to alleviate the anxiety, the door suddenly opened. It was the staff sister from the new trainee group.
"Stand up straight, the meeting over there just ended. They'll be here soon."
When Chen Wu heard this, his breath hitched. He sidled closer to Gao Xiayu and said, "Bro... I'm so nervous."
"Me too..." Gao Xiayu's heart was racing, but he had to bear the responsibility of being the older brother, calling everyone to stand properly and going over how to greet them later. But before they could even discuss it, noisy footsteps could be heard from outside. The staff at the door straightened up and opened the door wide to let the people outside in.
The trainees inside clasped their hands behind them and greeted the first teacher who entered enthusiastically, "Hello, Teacher!"
Jiang Juyou looked up and nodded, then followed the others to sit on the nearby sofa.
After most of the people came in, a staff member passed out the trainee roster and songs they had to perform. Jiang Juyou sat in the middle flipping through them.
Sitting there, Jiang Juyou said to the trainees standing in a line, "Introduce yourselves first, starting from the right."
Hearing this, Ye Xing on the far right clenched his hand and tried to suppress his nerves. He met Jiang Juyou's eyes. "Hello Teachers, I'm Ye Xing, 14 years old this year."
Next to him, Chen Wu immediately followed up, "Hello Teachers, I'm Chen Wu, 15 this year."
"Hello Teachers, I'm Wang Silu, 14 this year."
"Hello Teachers, I'm Chi Qiao..."
The ten boys were all between 13 to 16 years old, with similar heights. At a glance, they looked copy and pasted, of course, some stood out more.
Sitting there, Jiang Juyou heard people around her whispering about the exceptionally good-looking Ye Xing.
"Can't help but keep looking at Ye Xing."
"If only his skills were a bit better."
"Ye Xing really stands out."
After the trainees finished introducing themselves, just as the new trainee department staff was about to speak, the Executive Producer raised her hand to stop her. "Let's not watch too much today. We'll look at everything together during the monthly evaluations. For now, let's watch the solo stages everyone prepared. I remember it's two per person right? Pick the one you're most confident in. Who wants to go first?"
Jiang Juyou's words gave the trainees a shock, like students entering the exam hall only to find the test was all bonus questions.
The few looked at each other, no one raising their hand first, even the usually eager Gao Xiayu hesitated for a bit.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, someone stepped forward.
"Teacher, I'll go first," said Pei Luming, raising his hand.