USF Chapter 4: Xia Dongchan

In the afternoon, while they were having lunch in the cafeteria, the director suddenly came to inform everyone that they were to head to their designated classrooms based on their ranks in the evening to record a segment where they would call their families.

The segment had two key points, first was informing their families of their initial evaluation grade, and second, stating the grade they are aiming for in the reassessment.

The trainees hurriedly finished their meals and rushed back to their dorms to wash their hair and put on makeup. Only Lin Ye and Xia Dongchan took their time, leisurely enjoying their buffet dinner. Afterward, they even indulged in the highly sought-after desserts that would be gone if they were even a minute late, before finally heading back to the practice room for dance practice.

By then, only a few people remained in the practice room. Wearing his D-class uniform, Lin Ye trailed behind Xia Dongchan into the spacious and well-lit B-class classroom.

Lin Ye sat on the floor cross-legged, looking at Xia Dongchan who was fast-forwarding through the training video in front of the player. “Your classroom is bigger than ours.”

Xia Dongchan paused the video and turned to him. “That’s only because you haven’t seen the A-class one yet. Now that is a big classroom.”

Lin Ye leaned back on his hands, stretching his legs out and tilting his head lazily. “Not like it matters, it’s not our classroom anyway. No matter how many times I see it, it won’t change anything.”

“How can you say that!” Xia Dongchan knelt down in front of him, excitement flashing in his eyes as he clasped Lin Ye’s hands. “It’s because I’ve seen it that I’m even more determined to move up in the next reassessment.” He looked at Lin Ye, his eyes filled with resolve. “Lin Ye, in three days, let’s move up to A-class together.”

Lin Ye closed his eyes and laid back on the floor, remaining silent.

Xia Dongchan had a face completely mismatched with his personality.

Despite his gentle and refined features, his heart burned with desire and ambition. Careless opponents often underestimated him.

If there was ever someone who embodied the phrase “a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” it was Xia Dongchan.

As for himself, perhaps it was precisely because of his laziness that radiated from his bones and lack of competitiveness that he had grown so close to Xia Dongchan.

After all, Lin Ye had joined the company for money, while Xia Dongchan had only one goal, which was fame.

In the evening, when it was time to record, Lin Ye was set to have his part recorded fairly early. However, not even 30 seconds after being called in, he was already walking back out.

Another trainee in line anxiously asked him what had happened. Lin Ye simply curled his lips into a casual smile and said, “My family has all passed away. There’s no one for me to call.”

That person called him a fool for passing up a golden opportunity to be on camera. He said he should have called a friend first and, when the director asked who he was talking to, used his background to squeeze a few tears out of the fans.

The person continued, a hint of pride in his tone. “Fans are so easy to manipulate. if you looked at the camera and said you had no one left to call, they’d be bawling in front of their phones, wailing, “Are my tears worth nothing? Mom’s heart is aching for you!””

(TL/N: Some fans refer to themselves as “Mom”, as in being Lin Ye’s mom.)

Lin Ye was momentarily stunned by how blatantly shameless the guy was. After a brief pause, he offered the man a perfunctory smile before turning away to head over to Xia Dongchan at the B-class classroom.

His luck wasn’t too bad. Just as he arrived, he caught sight of Xia Dongchan’s back as he walked in. Lin Ye crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe to wait for him, just then he heard Jiang Lian’s name being called from the other side.

Lin Ye turned his head and locked eyes with Jiang Lian, who was walking toward him. He assumed the other boy would pass by without acknowledging him, but instead, Jiang Lian paused and lowered his voice to murmur in his ear, “You’ve got some nerve, wearing a D-class uniform yet waltzing into the B-class practice room to rehearse.”

Lin Ye was stunned momentarily, realizing Jiang Lian had seen him earlier. Still, he remained calm, tilting his head as he retorted in a hushed voice, “Why are you so nosy? I went into B-class, not A-class.”

Jiang Lian didn’t respond, simply pushing open the door and stepping inside.

There, the staff were already waiting with the cameras. Taking the phone handed to him, Jiang Lian sat down on the high stool positioned against the recording backdrop. His first call was to his eldest brother, but it was the secretary who picked up.

Jiang Lian put the call on speaker, allowing everyone to hear the crisp voice on the other end: “Apologies, Mr. Jiang. The chairman is currently in a video conference.”

Unfazed, Jiang Lian ended the call and dialed his family’s home number, still on speakerphone. This time, a housekeeper quickly answered. “Hello? Oh, it’s Xiao Lian! What’s that? You’re looking for the master and madam? They left on a vacation overseas yesterday. They’ll be back next month.”

(TL/N: Xiao Lian is a nickname formed by combining 小 meaning small and Jiang Lian’s name. It’s typically a familiar way to address someone)

The staff struggled to hold back their laughter.

Left with no choice, the director resorted to a brief interview to extend Jiang Lian’s screen time. He asked three questions in total.

The first being, “Among the trainees, who do you think is most on par with your skill level?”

Jiang Lian answered, “Ming Rang.”

The director’s eyes gleamed, sensing an opportunity. “I heard you and Ming Rang are childhood sweethearts. Do you two have any nicknames for each other in private?”

Jiang Lian tilted his head slightly and countered, “Is that how you use the term “childhood sweethearts”? We’re both men. Who exactly are you calling the “green plum” here?”

(TL/N: The phrase 青梅竹马 means childhood friends or childhood sweethearts, the director hinting towards the latter here, 青梅 meaning green plum refers to the girl, while 竹马 meaning bamboo horse refers to the boy. The phrase originates from the image of children playing together, one riding a bamboo stick as a pretend horse and the other eating green plums.)

The director hadn’t expected such a blunt rebuttal and was at a complete loss of words. Meanwhile, someone beside her tugged at her sleeve and whispered, “Stop asking about Ming Rang. His contract explicitly states no couple marketing.”

The director frowned. “Who made that decision? The small company he’s signed to?”

“Not his agency.” The person shook their head. “It was the investor, their last name was also Jiang.”

The director fell silent for a moment before giving up on pairing Jiang Lian and Ming Rang together. Instead, she switched to a safer question. “Aside from

Ming Rang, among the ninety eight other trainees, who has left the deepest impression on you?”

Jiang Lian lowered his gaze in thought, a face slowly surfacing in his mind. He rested his chin against his knuckles, casually raising a brow.

Sensing another opportunity, the director subtly probed, “Seems like you have someone in mind. So, who is it?”

After a brief pause, Jiang Lian’s expression returned to normal. “Xia Dongchan, I suppose.” He added, “He’s very hardworking.”