Chapter 36
"Little Prince?" It took Gu Ningyan awhile to comprehend that this nickname referred to Ling Rong. Had Hu Yue and Ling Rong's relationship developed so much to the extent of assigning nicknames?
Without offering further explanation, Hu Yue signaled Gu Ningyan with his eyes, asking, "Shall we go in?"
One person bringing food was more than enough. Gu Ningyan, feeling as if he was interfering unnecessarily, intended to leave to avoid awkwardness. Unbeknownst to him, Ling Rong, who was inside, had already heard the commotion outside and emerged to see both individuals caught red-handed.
With an innocent shrug, Hu Yue implied that they had no choice but to enter together.
"Lunchtime, Little Prince. You can't forget to eat while practicing," said Hu Yue, exuding his usual carefree demeanor. He was drawn towards those he fancied; hence, he didn't treat Ling Rong this way solely because of his identity.
Observing the food Gu Ningyan was also holding, Ling Rong asked curiously, "Is this for me, too?"
With no other response, Gu Ningyan modestly replied, "Mhm." However, if one paid close attention, they would notice his eyes shifting due to slight embarrassment.
"Then, thank you. I will conveniently accept both," Ling Rong stated, deciding to take both boxes. Accepting just one might appear disrespectful.
Fortunately, both guys were aware of the importance of portion control, hence neither of them brought too much food. Ling Rong sampled a bit from each, managing not to waste much.
"By the way, why did you call me the Little Prince?" Ling Rong asked while munching her food, still curious about the nickname Hu Yue had given her.
Did he know already that she was from the Ling family?
However, Ling Rong didn't mind. The Ling family had always publicly stated that they had two sons. When Ling Rong was born, they invited a master from Huijue temple to predict her future. The prophecy revealed great hardship, which they were told could only be averted by raising her with strong masculine energy. As a result, Ling Rong was raised as a boy for over twenty years.
Looking Ling Rong up and down, Hu Yue's gaze finally landed on his face. He laughed, "If you changed your outfit, wouldn't you look like a little prince? Foreign people have princes, and in Huaxia, it naturally becomes a little prince, or 'Little Emperor'."
Little did Ling Rong know that this casual nickname from Hu Yue would stick with her throughout the entire show.
Hu Yue had originally planned to leave after Ling Rong finished eating, yet halfway through, he was pulled away by his team member Qi Haoran for training. Concerned about Hu Yue, who looked a bit downcast, Qi Haoran, who usually exuded gentleness and ranked second in the team, warned, "Hu Yue, be careful not to take it too seriously."
Given the importance of fan service, they all understand what their fans like. As a result, their company encourages them to build rapport with the same sex. However, their biggest fear in this line of business is mixing reality with performance.
In Qi Haoran's view, Hu Yue's attention towards Ling Rong seemed a bit excessive.
Eyebrows arching, the devilishly handsome man’s eyes still led Qi Haoran to underestimate his depth. He nonchalantly responded, "I'm just following the company's instructions to take good care of the Little Prince, right?"
After quite some time, just as Qi Haoran thought the conversation was over, he suddenly heard a sigh beside his ear.
"And who wouldn't like such a beautiful little brother?"
Suddenly, only Ling Rong and Gu Ningyan were left in Class F's training room. The silence between them seemed a bit strange. Ling Rong glanced at the lunch box in her hand and just said, "Have you eaten yet? Do you want to share some with me?"
As she asked this, her chopsticks had already picked up a piece of meat, seemingly intending to feed it to him.
"I've already eaten, you go ahead." Gu Ningyan's response came a bit stiffly. To soften his tone, he added, "You're too thin. You need to eat more."
As soon as he mentioned being thin, Gu Ningyan couldn't help but recall the slim waist he held that morning. But soon the thought of always thinking about a man's waist seemed a bit inappropriate and his ears reddened, creating a stark contrast with his fair skin.
"Aren't you going to practice? You're performing the day after tomorrow." Ling Rong asked as she chewed her food. Her bulging cheeks looked like a squirrel holding onto a pine cone, making her appear incredibly cute.
No one can resist cute things.
"I'll go in a while. Just had a meal, need some digestion time." Gu Ningyan said without changing his expression. The next second, he saw that Ling Rong's mouth was stained with sauce. Without any thought, he instinctively took out a napkin to wipe it off for him.
It was a completely subconscious act. Even Gu Ningyan himself was stunned after he had done it. However, in front of the camera, he just quietly retracted his hand, maintaining an image of normality.
"Ah, thank you." Ling Rong had also long become accustomed to such intimate behavior from men in her previous life, so she didn’t think much of it.
After Ling Rong finished eating, Gu Ningyan quickly tidied up the messy table. Without letting Ling Rong lift a finger, he took care of all the trash, and left.
"I'm off to train now, you just ate so take a break, and don't stay up too late tonight!" After saying this, Gu Ningyan left the Class F's training room without even saying goodbye, as if he was fleeing from a plight.
Entering a big company to become a trainee, it was impossible to achieve impressive results without staying up late, it was always impossible.
Glancing at the clock on the wall showing 2 A.M., Ling Rong had made great progress with all her dance movements. She was able to dance in sync with the music.
She had been hoping to refine her movements more when the classroom door opened. Dance Instructor Yang Zhenyu walked in.
"Still training so late?" Yang Zhenyu was somewhat surprised to see only Ling Rong in such a large classroom all by herself. If he had seen this situation in Class A or B, he would have been prepared, but to see this in Class F was unexpected.
Moreover, he was well aware of how Ling Rong had managed to join Class F. After all, Shengyue was a company that even he aspired to join.
"Hello, Teacher!" As long as someone could earn Ling Rong’s respect in a certain aspect, she was willing to call them "Teacher".
"Do a run-through for me."
"Yes, Teacher." At 2 A.M., Ling Rong did not play the music, instead she hummed the melody in her mouth and completed the entire dance. The level of proficiency and completeness of her dance was a vast improvement compared to the morning.
After watching her performance, Yang Zhenyu couldn't help but marvel at how quickly she had progressed. Indeed, there was never a weakling in Sheng Yue. Even if they initially struggled, they would definitely compensate for it through their subsequent hard work.
"You did really well. You've made a great impression on me in just half a day." Not at all stingy with his praise, Yang Zhenyu quickly added, "It's late, go back and have a rest. Only with good spirits can you continue your practice tomorrow."
"Yes, thank you, Teacher!" After happily sending him off, Ling Rong also felt incredibly drained. So, she finally turned off the lights in the practice room and headed towards the dormitory.
When Ling Rong returned to room 605, the dormitory door was ajar, indicating that someone had left it unlocked for her.
She enjoyed a good night's sleep.
Early the next morning, Ling Rong and her group were awakened by the show staff, "You will have an activity today. After breakfast, you can start shooting."
As a talent show, the production crew couldn't only show the trainees in the practice room or on stage; they also needed to hold various activities off-screen to increase their exposure. Since the regular episodes had limited duration, not all the recorded content could be included, making the extra content programs relevant.
"Idol Life House" was a spin-off of "Cheer Up, Idol!" and focused on revealing the lives of the trainees. Footage that couldn't be shown in the main program, as well as the behind-the-scenes content that couldn't be aired due to time constraints, would be showcased in this spin-off.
After breakfast, one hundred trainees were led into a room. Their first task for the day was to select ten people they would like to see participate in a truth or dare game.
"Truth or dare?" Zhang Tianqi, who received the task, was excited, "Do we choose who we want to play truth or dare?"
"Yes."
"I need to think carefully about this." Zhang Tianqi held his pen and struck a thinker's pose while mumbling to himself, "Big Brother must be on the list, hmm... And Hu Yue, the cunning fox, would definitely be fun too..."
When Qiao Lin entered, he didn't hesitate to write down his choices: "Truth or dare is such an exciting game; Beauty Ling must be on the list!"
Imagining Ling Rong participating in truth or dare, Qiao Lin couldn't help but burst into malicious laughter.
When it was Mu Xiuyuan's turn, he first wrote his own name, then thought, "Since I want to play, I should include Big Brother too. I wonder what kind of dare would make Big Brother flustered?"
As the hundred trainees cast their votes, the production crew started counting. The ten with the highest votes were:
Gao Jingxing, Hu Yue, and Ling Rong from Sheng Yue Entertainment, Gu Ningyan from QingNiao Entertainment, Yin Wenxuan from LeTian Media, Qiao Lin from Hua Chang Entertainment, Huo Xi from Tianxing Entertainment, Xu Xiaotian from BeiDou Star, and two other people.
Hu Yue and Ling Rong from Sheng Yue were known for their exceptionally good looks. Gao Jingxing was always among the top trainees, so naturally, many wanted to see him participate. The remaining seven were divided into two categories. One category were people like Gu Ningyan, who were usually quiet and composed, and the trainees wanted to see them in a different light. The other category represented by Qiao Lin included those who had great fun with everyone.
The selected ten were taken to a specific shooting location. The entire game would be recorded and edited for the "Idol Life House" program, serving as a treat for the VIP fangirls watching on Meowtail Video. They would have the chance to get to see more aspects of their beloved stars.
Once everyone was brought to a vibrant, youthfully decorated room, the ten were seated around a large round table with a rotating pointer in the center.
After everyone settled down, the director started speaking, "Welcome to our 'Idol Life House', trainees. As representatives chosen by public votes, you will participate in a game called 'truth or dare' together."
"The rules are simple. You ten will draw lots, and the game will start from whoever draws the first game. The first person starts spinning the pointer in front of you. Whoever the pointer points at has to choose 'truth' or 'dare' as their challenge. If you succeed, the person it pointed at rotates the pointer for the next round. If you fail, you'll face a punishment—which we're not revealing yet."
After introducing the game rules, the director officially clapped the clapperboard.
"Now — let the game begin!"
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