DYUTVOBGA Chapter 10

Exiting the preparation room and walking down the corridor, they quickly arrived directly at the stage.

The floor was deep black like thick ink, yet its surface had a glass-like texture. Brilliant gold glitter scattered across it like a galaxy. Light strips, dry ice foggers, and multi-angle cameras were neatly arranged along the stage’s edge.

Standing at the center of the stage and looking forward, the spacious seating area, large enough to accommodate 101 trainees, extended upwards in a pyramid-like staircase.

The bottom level was for the F class, ascending level by level, with the highest level being the A class.

Above the A class, at the very top of the pyramid, was an empty platform. Behind it stood a liquid crystal screen displaying [Next stage].

It was shimmering, and pure black and dazzling gold floated on the surface, like honor flags at a new king’s coronation.

The moment the four of them stepped onto the stage, a standard broadcast voice announced from above:

“Now, let’s welcome the independent trainees: Quentin, Xue Mingzhu, Yang Siyi, Liao Fei.”

At the same time, the large screen behind the stage lit up sequentially with the official promotional photos of the four boys, their ages specially marked in the lower right corner.

“Eh? Quentin, you’re not even an adult yet.”

Yang Siyi’s attention was first caught by Quentin’s official photo, and he quickly noticed the golden number “17”.

“The four of us are probably the youngest batch among all the trainees. Even Xue Mingzhu is 18. Quentin, you might be the only minor, right?”

He smiled as he looked at the two beside him, only to meet two pairs of eyes…one calm, the other suspicious…as if saying:

Who is this guy? Do we know each other?

Yang Siyi’s smile froze.

Ahhh, what was he thinking, actively trying to make conversation with these two cool guys? Now he’d caused an awkward silence, ahhh.

Quentin showed no awareness of being a minor. He paused for a few seconds before slowly responding, “…I turn 18 this October.”

Yang Siyi said with surprise, “Wow, so you’ll be celebrating your 18th birthday at our filming base?”

Quentin murmured slowly, “There are 101 trainees in total. Probably quite a few will have birthdays during these three months.”

“My birthday is in October too,” Xue Mingzhu suddenly interjected. “What date is yours?”

“The 21st,” Quentin said.

Xue Mingzhu raised an eyebrow. “Ha, mine is on the 9th. It looks like I’m a full year older than you.”

“What’s so great about being a year older? Isn’t everyone here older than Quentin by at least a year?” Yang Siyi teased with a smile. “Don’t tell me you want Quentin to call you ‘ge’?”

Quentin glanced at him, and Xue Mingzhu glared over.

Yang Siyi’s smile froze again.

Had he said something wrong?

It wasn’t that he was overly sensitive; it was just that these two had such strong, intimidating auras. Even a slight drop in expression made them look fierce.

Especially Xue Mingzhu. This guy looked like he was glaring at everyone. Despite having a somewhat youthful face, he carried an air of a Hong Kong gangster from the old days.

His expression was always arrogant, and his speech had a gangster vibe, like a gang leader loitering on the street corner, waiting to block someone for a fight.

Yang Siyi’s inner drama was so rich that even Xue Mingzhu, a single-celled organism who couldn’t read the room, sensed the odd atmosphere.

“Yang Siyi, are you secretly bad-mouthing me in your head?” Xue Mingzhu wrinkled his nose and muttered, “I feel like I’m about to sneeze.”

Yang Siyi averted his gaze. “…Haha, let’s hurry up and choose our seats. The director will rush us soon.”

“Does choosing a seat take time? We already said we’re choosing A.”

Xue Mingzhu walked off the stage without a care, stepped onto the staircase, and went straight for the highest level.

After taking a few steps, he turned back to look at Quentin, raising his chin. “Come on, what are you daydreaming about? Let’s go together.”

The boy paused for two seconds, his eyebrows lowering into a fierce expression. “You are choosing A, right?”

Somehow, he managed to make a concerned inquiry sound like a threat…a true skill of his.

Quentin nodded.

Yang Siyi, who was standing to the side, extended a hand. “Wait, you’re really all choosing A? The A Class only takes 7 people! There’s definitely going to be a battle round later…101 competing for 7 spots. The competition is way too fierce.”

Xue Mingzhu: “Tch. Isn’t the final debut also about 101 competing for 7? You joined this show, aren’t you aiming to debut in the group?”

“I… of course I want to debut,” Yang Siyi lifted his leg and followed depressedly, muttering under his breath, “But debuting is three months away. Starting off with something so intense right from the beginning…my heart can’t take it.”

The boy hesitated but still walked into the B class area. When he turned to look back, he discovered, to his surprise, that the other three were all sitting uniformly in the A class section.

“?!”

He clutched his chest and leaned back in a tactical retreat. “Liao Fei! You… you actually chose A too! Are you all this brave? It makes me look so cowardly.”

Liao Fei sat in the innermost seat of the A class section, his expression slightly tense. “Yes, I want to give it a try.”

Yang Siyi: “…It’s over. Should I have joined you guys? Can this part be edited out?”

Just as he was struggling, the overhead voice suddenly rang out:

“Now, let’s welcome the trainees from Wanming Pictures: Qi Yang, Huo Donghua, Qiao Xue.”

Yang Siyi immediately turned his head. “Wanming Pictures? A major company is here! …Eh? The second group isn’t sorted by age? I remember the BKL guys are younger, right?”

Quentin looked up at the large stage screen. The official photos of three youthful faces had the numbers 22, 25, and 27 marked in the lower right corner, representing their ages.

The gap was significant compared to the ages 17, 18, 18, 19 of Quentin’s independent trainee group.

Liao Fei said quietly, “The director probably meant that people within the same group enter by their age.”

Actually, based on the order in which the program had officially announced the photos on the forum, it should have been the trainees from major companies leading the way. It was strange that their group of four independent trainees were the first batch.

Liao Fei glanced at Quentin, who was sitting next to Xue Mingzhu, and felt that the reason they were in the first batch was probably because the director wanted Quentin to appear first.

After all, Quentin’s official photo had the highest buzz last week.

As the overhead voice rang out, three young men wearing gray-white hoodies and dark blue jeans stepped onto the stage.

At a glance, they were tall with long legs, handsome and well-proportioned, appearing more composed and steady compared to the young boys sitting on the pyramid.

Yang Siyi murmured, “Is this the aura of a major company?”

Why did he feel their faces were somewhat familiar? Wanming Picture’s artists… they must be actors, right?

“Qi Yang, 22 years old, the school male god of Yanhai Film Academy. He graduated two months ago. Previously played the fourth male lead in last year’s massively popular ancient-style idol web drama ‘The Broken Army Star’.”

“Huo Donghua, 25 years old, has repeatedly played minor villains in various historical and political intrigue web dramas. Because every character he played died quickly, fans jokingly call him the ‘Lunchbox Prince’.”

“Qiao Xue, 27 years old, had a period of explosive popularity two years ago after appearing in a hit comedy film. But subsequent resources didn’t keep up, he didn’t get good scripts, and he faded into obscurity.”

The system reported the basic information of the trainees one by one in Quentin’s head: “Host, host, who do you think is more like the main character?”

“If you ask like that, then each of them could be the main character of their own story line,” Quentin replied in his mind. “Qi Yang could be ‘I, the University Male God, Debuted in a Boy Band’. Huo Donghua could be ‘Can a Villain Also Debut as an Idol?’. Qiao Xue could be ‘On the Possibility of an Older Male Actor Redefining Himself Through a Survival Show’.”

“Just like me, I could also be ‘What to Do After Dying from Exhaustion and Transmigrating into a Boy Band Survival Show BE Novel’.”

“Right now, the only clues we have to identify the main character are two: first, through triggering the redemption progress bar, and second, by guessing who ultimately manages to squeeze into the 6/7 debut spots.”

While communicating with the system in his mind, Quentin politely stood up and looked towards the three trainees walking up the steps.

Seeing him rise, Xue Mingzhu, who had been sprawled casually beside him, also stood up. Liao Fei, who had been shrinking silently in the corner like a mushroom, quietly got to his feet as well.

Yang Siyi, who was sitting in the row in front of them, didn’t notice the movement in the A class behind him. He proactively struck up a conversation with the three new trainees, his eyes full of expectation as he invited, “Hey, do you want to join The B Class, everyone? Come on over.”

“Hmm…” Qiao Xue, who was walking at the front, smiled gently at Yang Siyi and said apologetically, “No, my skills probably aren’t good enough for The B Class yet.”

Yang Siyi: “Ah, then where are you going?”

Qiao Xue looked back at his teammates. “Donghua, A Yang, which class do you want to go to?”

Huo Donghua had spent years playing villainous princes in historical dramas. He naturally had a long, solemn face that looked deep and unsmiling. Even dressed in a youthful white hoodie and jeans, he still seemed out of place in a survival show. He calmly surveyed the area, his gaze pausing for a moment on the three in A class. “…I’ll go to F class.”

The youngest of the three and the most striking in appearance, Qi Yang, said casually: “Same, F class.”

He was actually quite obvious. After walking up the steps, he stopped at the lowest F class seating area, with no intention of going higher.

Yang Siyi looked at Qiao Xue in shock: “So all three of you chose F??”

What the hell, three A’s earlier, and three F’s here? Could the difference be any bigger?!

And aren’t you artists sent by Wanming Pictures? Don’t you have any pride from a big company? Wanming Pictures’s signing conditions are very strict; those who get signed should have some special skill!

Qiao Xue looked a bit embarrassed, sheepishly touching the tip of his nose. He explained softly: “All three of us are actors. Singing and dancing… we’re not as good as you. It’s better to start slowly from F class and practice.”

Yang Siyi: “…Alright, I’ll wait a bit longer.”

Damn it, he was still the only one sitting in The B Class. So awkward. Someone come chat with him!

The heavenly voice soon rang out again.

“Next, please welcome…”

“Xinda Media trainee, Wen Xinyi.”

“BKL Entertainment trainees, Yan Qiao, Zhong Qu, Lu Kui, Dong Zeyu, Wei Bowen.”

Yang Siyi instantly sat up straight.

Oh oh oh, here they come, two at once! BKL’s big demons, and Xinda Media’s great vocalist are here!

“Host, host, Zhong Qu is here!”

The system started bouncing around: “If you sit with him, the progress bar will definitely increase again.”

Quentin looked at the row of people standing in the center of the stage. He originally intended to continue standing to show welcome, but Xue Mingzhu, who was sitting next to him, grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

“Okay, there are 101 people total. Are you going to stand and wait for each one?”

Xue Mingzhu looked at Quentin’s profile and wondered if this person was some well-behaved kid dug up by the production team from a key high school? He was even more polite than an elementary school student wearing a red scarf.

He held Quentin’s wrist with one hand, the other hand in his pants pocket, sitting slouched: “Anyway, they might not choose Class A. If they really come up, then it’s not too late to stand up.”

Quentin didn’t resist, sitting down with his force: “I guess they will choose Class A.”

Xue Mingzhu pouted: “Based on what? Just because they’re from a big company?”

Quentin turned to look at the young man with a sour face beside him and said slowly: “Xue Mingzhu, don’t you think you’re a bit arrogant?”

Xue Mingzhu: “….”

The boy rubbed his ear, frowned, and met Quentin’s gaze: “Huh? Me, arrogant?”

“Obviously you’re more arrogant, okay!”

He lowered his voice: “I heard you joined ‘NS’ just a week before recording? You’re not signed to a company, and your forum account is new. You definitely weren’t in the industry before. Probably because you were temporarily grabbed by the production team because of your looks.”

“What can you perform alone on the initial stage later? Will you just use your face, or your voice?” He sneered, “Tsk, you better not fall out of Class A.”

Xue Mingzhu was leaning in quite closely. When he looked down, he could see the fine fuzz on Quentin’s cheeks. The iconic green eyes were quietly watching him.

His fingers subconsciously tightened, gripping harder. His fingertips pressed against the slightly cool skin, as if he could count the rhythm of Quentin’s pulse.

Thump, thump, thump.

The young, handsome mixed-race boy met his gaze, and his expression was as calm as ever, seemingly unaware of the other party’s daze.

His voice was also light, but it gave a strange persuasiveness.

“Don’t worry, I won’t.”