Chapter 34
Ling Rong's arrival quickly reached the ears of everyone, and with various thoughts in mind, people flocked to Dorm 605 to welcome their new friend.
The first to arrive were the group of four from Shengyue.
"Big brother, what's the company thinking? They didn't even bother to discuss it with us. They just told us to take care of this newcomer. And we don't even know anything about this Ling Rong!" Zhang Tianqi, the only one from the Shengyue group assigned to Class B, was also the youngest and had the shortest training time.
The one called "big brother" was Gao Jingxing, the most experienced of the four. At only 22 years old, he had already undergone three years of training abroad and was skilled in both dance and music. He was a top priority for Shengyue's development. The reason he was called back to the country was for him to get warmed up before his debut.
The handsome young man in the red Class A uniform, symbolizing strength, kept a straight face and calmly said, "we can't decide the company's decisions. Just accept and obey them. Besides, you might not know, but the current president's last name is Ling."
Hu Yue, leaning lazily against the wall, suddenly chuckled with understanding. His already enchanting face became even more captivating, "So, the prince has arrived, and we, as his study buddies, must serve him well."
"Does that mean we have to give him the final debut slot just because her his name is Ling?" Zhang Tianqi pursed his lips discontentedly. There were only ten spots for their debut, and everyone wanted to seize the opportunity to showcase themselves in front of the world.
They all knew that the prince's sudden arrival meant his abilities were questionable. They had to train hard in the practice room for two, three, or even more years for this chance, and he might not even have stayed there for five days.
Gao Jingxing was silent for a moment, then suddenly he said, “Yes, just because his last name is Ling.”
Some people are born already at the finish line, a place they might not reach even with a lifetime of effort. But squabbling about it doesn't make any sense.
He always believed that as long as one has talent, there will always be a stage for them to shine.
"Alright, Tianqi, take it easy. Who says the arrival of the prince has to be a bad thing?" Qi Haoran, who was always the gentle one in the team, patted his 'brother' affectionately, comforting him. Even though they weren’t blood-related, their shared training had brought them closer than any siblings.
"Exactly, if you can get on his good side, resources will come to you easily in the future." Hu Yue jokingly added, not forgetting to throw a wink at Zhang Tianqi.
Despite knowing that the other person was a man like himself, being flirted with by such an enchanting character still gave Zhang Tianqi goosebumps, “Hu Yue, you should really change your name to 'fox spirit'!”
Despite his mesmerizing looks, the youth, who did not seem feminine at all, laughed heartily at this.
"Here we are, be alert," the always composed team captain reminded everyone as they stood at the door of Dorm 605.
After knocking at the door, they soon heard a voice from inside inviting them in.
As the door opened, Mu Xiuyuan was almost blinded by a sea of red. There were only five of them who had been graded A, and three of them were here. It was clear who they were.
"Ling Rong, it's people from your company Shengyue."
If Mu Xiuyuan was initially reserved when facing strangers, the brief interactions had shown him that Ling Rong was an easy person to get along. Naturally, he started to call her by her name.
Upon hearing that people from her company were present, Ling Rong, who was teasing Gu Ningyan, paused and greeted the four with propriety, "Hello, seniors."
In the entertainment industry hierarchy, these four people were indeed her seniors, even though she had only trained for a week before coming here, two days more than they had expected.
Zhang Tianqi, who had already guessed Ling Rong's identity and was uneasy with the deference expected of him, quickly replied with just a word, "No need."
Qi Haoran promptly stepped in to smooth things over, "There's no need for formalities. We are all the same here, you can just call us by our names. The company asked us to take good care of you, so we thought to visit first."
Seeing the all-red outfit of the others, Ling Rong thought that her own grey-green attire was indeed a little out of place. It was fitting for artists of her company — their talent truly was undeniable.
The identity of Ling Rong this time around was none other than the daughter of Ling Corporation's couple, who were among the top ten richest in China. The Ling Corporation was a large-scale business with various industries worldwide. Sheng Yue Entertainment Media Company was just one of the businesses under the umbrella of the Ling Corporation, currently managed by Ling Yue, the eldest son of the Ling family.
With no trace of arrogance, Ling Rong responded, "I am Ling Rong, I look forward to learning from you all."
Hu Yue, who had been staring at 'prince' Ling Rong from the beginning, found his initial casual interest developing into deep fascination. He had always believed his own face to be one of the best, but now there was Ling Rong.
Infatuated with his face, Hu Yue broke free from his usual laziness, casually slung his arm around Ling Rong's shoulder. Their height discrepancy was just right, allowing him to cradle Ling Rong, who was 175cm tall, in his embrace.
"We are from the same company, let's not be strangers. If you encounter any problem in the future, feel free to come to me," he said.
Taking a glance at Gu Ningyan, Ling Rong noticed his frowning expression looking in their direction. Her lips curved into a slight smirk from her perceived victory. He was acting like a proud peacock earlier and didn’t pay her any mind. Now, let him choke on his words.
After all, just a moment ago he was trying to be friendly with him, and now he was behaving quite chummily with somebody else. Gu Ningyan didn't understand why he was feeling suffocated seeing them together. After all, he initially disliked the idea of special admission.
After a brief rest, in the afternoon, all the trainees resumed the program's recording. Along with Ling Rong, a total of one hundred trainees stood on the stage. As the program's mentor, Li Jingrong announced their first task.
"Three days from now, will be your first public performance, which is also the opening dance. Therefore, you must learn it within three days. After the performance, all the mentors will reassess your levels. Whether class 'A' will have new members depends on your performance three days later."
Afterward, the large screen started playing their opening dance "Give Me Love". The song and dance for the program were commissioned specifically. The lively rhythm easily got the audience hyped, fitting the program's orientation "Cheer Up, Idol."
"Do you have confidence in your performance the day after tomorrow?" Li Jingrong asked all the trainees.
"Yes!" was the confident response echoed by the hundred trainees, showcasing their keen ambition.
Since classes and training were divided according to grade, Ling Rong had to separate with Gu Ningyan. This time, grade 'F' class had 23 people in total. The group of young people in gray uniforms initially felt somewhat down about bottoming out, but their enthusiasm surged as soon as they found that Ling Rong was also in their class.
Who doesn't like a beauty? Moreover, being able to practice with one, was indisputably motivating!
Starting to practice the dance required them to learn the moves bit by bit. The people in grade 'F', in comparison to the other grades, indeed learned at a slower pace. There were many among them who had many issues coordinating their movements or catching up with the rhythm.
After watching their sequence of movements, their dance coach, Yang Zhenyu's brows furrowed tighter. He pointed out Ling Rong, who was the most conspicuous and asked, "Ling Rong, right? Seems like you didn't participate in rank grading. Can you tell me how much time you practiced before participating in the show?"
Ling Rong who was suddenly picked out, touched her nose with a guilty conscience, "Report to the coach, it's been a week..."
Despite knowing she's a straight-A student, Ling Rong recognized that he hasn't yet developed any prowess in dancing or singing. But he was here just to accompany Gu Ningyan. Moreover, he believed he had the ability to learn these skills.
Yang Zhenyu kept his cool only because he couldn’t blow up at him for having a beautiful face. Still, he could hardly control the disappointment showing on his face while thinking about how he had practiced for a solid five years to debut. Nowadays, these young people really did not take their futures seriously.
"Alright, you guys keep practicing, that's it for today." Yang Zhenyu said with evident disappointment.
One must acknowledge Ling Rong was indeed popular. He had just arrived and was parachuted in, but very soon, almost everyone in 'F' grade surrounded him and comforted him. "Don't be upset, none of us have trained for long. As the saying goes 'diligence can compensate for one's dullness'. As long as we work hard, we will definitely be able to dance well."
Ling Rong was of course not upset, and if she wasn't able to do something, weren't there people who could?
After thanking all of her grade 'F' classmates who comforted her, Ling Rong quietly sneaked into Gu Ningyan's grade 'B' class.
Probably it was break time, most were sitting together chatting and laughing. Reserved Gu Ningyan was not participating in the conversation but was practicing alone on the side.
Without his companions or time to squander, he had to practice diligently on his own.
As soon as Ling Rong entered, he caught everyone's attention. His face indeed was exceedingly captivating. Previously, out of the ninety-nine of them, at first glance, people would notice legendary-looking Hu Yue. Now, Ling Rong, someone of androgynous beauty, was added to the list.
And Ling Rong's beauty, in their eyes, was different from Hu Yue. Although Hu Yue had an exotic face, he was, without a doubt, a man. But Ling Rong had completely surpassed gender boundaries.
Zhang Tianqi, also in grade 'B', assumed Ling Rong had come to find him. He promptly got up to greet her, "What brings you here? Need any help?"
Following his elder brother's words, he had stopped minding the matter of the unexpected drop-in by the young master, and he had to admit, Ling Rong's face was truly difficult to dislike. If she requested his help, he would more than willingly oblige.
"Nothing much, just a few dance moves that I have trouble with. I thought I'd ask Ningyan for help. Don’t let me interrupt your practice." Ling Rong politely said. Within a second, she was standing next to Gu Ningyan, smiling sweetly at him.
"How about it, Mr. Gu, do you have time to teach this little newbie?"
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Author's note:
The name "Give Me Love" was something I made up on the fly. Please don't mind if it coincides with anything.
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