Chapter 15

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The rehearsal began in the afternoon.

When Xing Shi and the others returned to the company, it was just past half past three. Their teacher knew they would have no heart for lessons, so after going over the day’s problems, he let them arrange their own time and told them to resume training that evening.

Xing Shi decided to find somewhere to collapse and play on his phone.

A trainee approached from nearby. He was one of those who had been tense and out of sync.

His face was full of worry. “Brother Shi, my performance at rehearsal wasn’t ideal. Do you think the boss will be angry?”

“No,” Xing Shi said.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.”

From what he had observed, Fu Xiuning might have an unpleasant personality, but he was not the sort to get angry over such a minor matter. Even with Lin Kecheng, who was suspected of having planned the assassination attempt, constantly appearing before him, Fu Xiuning could still remain courteous and composed. Compared with that, this was nothing.

After all he had endured in the past, Fu Xiuning certainly would not have taken such a tiny flaw to heart. Eight times out of ten, he probably had not even remembered the trainee’s face.

Still, putting it that way would be rather discouraging.

Xing Shi consoled him. “This was only a rehearsal, not the actual performance. Mistakes are perfectly normal. Don’t worry.”

The trainee felt somewhat reassured. After thanking him, he hurried off to practice.

Someone nearby could not help asking, “Why does the boss care so much about this performance? He even came to supervise the rehearsal himself.”

Xing Shi looked at them. “Would you believe me if I said I’m actually not close to him?”

Everyone stared back at him in speechless unison. The boss had personally fed him little cakes at the rehearsal venue, and he called that not being close?

Their silence said everything.

One look at their expressions told Xing Shi what they thought, so he gave up trying to explain.

After thinking for a moment, he decided that, so long as they did not cause some enormous scandal on the day itself and become the subject of public ridicule, Fu Xiuning probably would not care.

He said, “Just… perform to the best of your abilities.”

The others mulled over his words, then dispersed one after another.

The second rehearsal took place a week later.

Fu Xiuning did not come, and the trainees all breathed a sigh of relief.

The alliance between Lin Kecheng and Xing Shi had expired once again, so the two renewed it.

Xing Shi’s favorability remained at minus seven. He and the system had already come up with a reason for this, but this time Lin Kecheng did not ask about it.

Lin Kecheng had seen through the gap between minus eight and himself. He simply decided that what he could not see could not trouble him.

He asked, “Have you seen him recently?”

“Only once, at school. I had the system ask whether you wanted me to sound him out, but you refused.”

Lin Kecheng nodded. He had felt that too little time had passed since the previous attempt. Bringing it up again so soon would only annoy Fu Xiuning and make him seem tactless.

He leaned closer and quietly gave Xing Shi his instructions. “The next time you see him, you can mention it. Say it like this…”

Xing Shi listened in silence, then answered readily, “All right.”

The system had heard everything as well and grumbled, “He’s really good at flattering himself. Are you actually going to help him?”

“Of course. He’s my ally. We have to keep our word.”

The system had no idea what Xing Shi was thinking, but it did not stop him. Someone like Lin Kecheng, it felt, could struggle all the way to a maximum of minus four at most. He did not pose any threat.

This rehearsal went more smoothly than the last, with virtually no problems.

The trainees were satisfied with their performance and returned to the company in high spirits.

The following morning, Xing Shi went to class. After the lesson ended, he was just about to use the system’s tracking function for the first time and have it locate Fu Xiuning when, by sheer good luck, he spotted Fu Xiuning not far from the teaching building.

With the school anniversary approaching, colorful flags hung along the main road. Themed posters could be seen everywhere, and display boards had been set up as well, featuring the university’s history, the achievements of notable alumni from past years, and the awards won by outstanding students of the current class.

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The school had also invited several distinguished alumni to give lectures, and posters advertising them had already been put up.

Fu Xiuning was holding two books while studying one of the posters.

The weather had grown warmer. Dressed in a white shirt and jeans, he looked refined and scholarly, as pleasing to the eye as ever.

It was rare for Xing Shi to see him looking so relaxed. Smiling, he walked over. “Senior, what a coincidence.”

Fu Xiuning glanced at him and thought that it was no coincidence at all. He had come specifically to wait for Xing Shi.

He had looked at Xing Shi’s class schedule and knew that the younger man had a lesson here, so he had come over.

In fact, he had tried to arrange another chance encounter a few days earlier, but Xing Shi had skipped class. Fu Xiuning could have gone directly to the company’s practice room to find him, but that would have drawn too much attention, and he had no specific excuse. He could only place their encounters at the university and gradually increase the amount of time they spent together.

He nodded in reply and asked, “How did yesterday’s rehearsal go?”

Xing Shi walked beside him. “Pretty well. It went very smoothly.”

“When is the final rehearsal?”

“The day after tomorrow.”

He began helping his ally. “I saw Senior Lin at the auditorium yesterday. He was gathering information on entertainment companies and had even made a comparison chart. It looked as though he wanted to choose one, but our company wasn’t on the list, Boss.”

Fu Xiuning turned to look at him.

Xing Shi wore an utterly serious expression. “I think Senior Lin is very capable. He’s popular, has excellent emotional intelligence, and would be well suited to the entertainment industry. He also graduated from Z University, so he could take the academic-achiever route.”

Fu Xiuning continued looking at him, calmly waiting for what came next.

Xing Shi was puzzled. “I asked him why he wasn’t choosing our company, but he refused to say. Does he not want to use the back door, or is there some inside information I don’t know about?”

When he finished, his expression suddenly turned neutral. “Those were his exact words. He asked me to sound you out.”

The system: “?”

That was what he called keeping his word?

Fu Xiuning had already guessed as much. His tone remained calm. “He must trust you quite a lot, if he’s willing to entrust you with something like this.”

The system immediately grew tense. That was true. On the surface, Xing Shi and Lin Kecheng had not known each other for very long. How had they become so close so quickly?

Xing Shi blinked. “You probably won’t believe me if I tell you.”

Fu Xiuning found the phrasing familiar. After thinking about it briefly, he recalled that when the system had previously asked Xing Shi why he insisted on forming an alliance, Xing Shi had used much the same tone.

He looked at Xing Shi, curious to see what he would say this time.

Xing Shi said, “Boss, you don’t know this, but Senior Lin has a younger brother who was separated from him many years ago. He said he felt an instant sense of familiarity when he first saw me, as though he were looking at his little brother. Maybe that’s why he trusts me.”

Fu Xiuning asked gently, “Then why didn’t you have a DNA test done?”

“I feel our appearances probably have nothing to do with each other genetically. I was afraid of hurting his feelings, so I didn’t bring it up.”

Fu Xiuning gave a quiet hum, then asked, “He trusts you like a younger brother, and you’re selling him out just like that?”

Xing Shi did not even blink. “Senior, to tell you the truth, I’ve always wanted an older brother.”

Fu Xiuning: “…”

Xing Shi said sincerely, “The first time I saw you, I wanted you to be my brother.”

Even though Fu Xiuning had already guessed what would come next, he still laughed.

He had to admit that, setting aside the resemblance that left him feeling vaguely choked up, this boy could sometimes be delightfully wicked in exactly the way Fu Xiuning appreciated.

[Beep]

[Current favorability: minus six]

The system: “!”

That was an incredibly successful favor!

Xing Shi’s heart stirred. His luck really was good today. Everything that followed would be much easier.

“Want some coffee, Brother? My treat.”

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Fu Xiuning did not refuse.

The two went to the nearest café. After Xing Shi sat down and ordered, he first instructed the system to patch things up, lest Lin Kecheng let something slip.

After hearing the gist of his instructions, the system sent a message.

[My host sounded out Fu Xiuning as you instructed. Fu Xiuning hasn’t said anything for the moment, and they’re still talking. To draw closer to you, my host told him that you have a younger brother who was separated from you many years ago, that you hit it off at first sight and are as close as brothers, and that you truly hope to enter the entertainment industry alongside your brother.]

Lin Kecheng read the message and thought that the fool had actually been fairly reliable this time.

[All right. Help me thank him. From now on, he’s my real brother!]

The system thought that if Lin Kecheng knew what Xing Shi had actually said, he would not feel the same way.

It relayed the message to its host.

Xing Shi praised it, yawned, and said, “Give me a Level Two punishment.”

The system said, “…What?”

“Since I’m finally sitting with Fu Xiuning, and I’ve even gained one point, I want to improve my condition and press the advantage.”

The system was deeply moved. “Won’t that be too hard on you? It’s fine, we don’t have to rush. Just chat with him casually.”

“Come on. Don’t you want to gain a few more points?”

Naturally, the system did. It therefore activated a Level Two punishment for him.

Finding Fu Xiuning today had never been solely about delivering Lin Kecheng’s message. That had merely been incidental. The real reason was to use Fu Xiuning as an excuse to request a Level Two punishment.

He and Lin Kecheng had formed an alliance four times now, and he had skimmed energy from him on all four occasions. Yet those tiny energy currents remained nowhere to be found, as though they had never existed. He wanted to try this.

He felt the familiar energy currents spread throughout his body and immediately attempted to absorb them.

Five seconds later, the punishment ended.

The bad news was that the energy currents produced by the punishment were more difficult to absorb than ordinary ones. He had not managed to siphon away even the slightest trace.

The good news, however, was that the pain had lessened. This meant that the small amounts of energy from the previous four occasions had not dissipated. They had merely gone dormant, waiting to accumulate over time.

Across from him, Fu Xiuning sat quietly observing Xing Shi.

He could hear only the conversations between the host and the system and sense the fluctuations of energy. He had once paid attention to the other people present when the system detached, only to discover that they could not perceive those fluctuations at all.

Xing Shi was a transmigrated host using this world’s body—a perfectly ordinary human body. Why, then, was he capable of so many exceptions?

And could Xing Shi, like Fu Xiuning, sense energy? Or could he do even more? What exactly did that “more” entail?

It was a difficult problem.

Xing Shi never discussed such matters with the system, so Fu Xiuning could not hear those conversations. He could only increase their everyday contact and gradually infer the truth from the clues.

He asked, “You’re buying the coffee, so I’ll buy dessert. Want some?”

Xing Shi instantly brightened. “Yes!”

Fu Xiuning went to order two portions of dessert.

They remained at the café until noon and had lunch together. In the afternoon, Xing Shi had training, so he rode with Fu Xiuning to the company before the two parted ways.

Two days later, Xing Shi and the others held their final rehearsal. Their performance was just as smooth as before, and everyone finally felt confident.

They went to bed early and got up before six the next morning.

This was their first public performance. Even though they would not be paid, the teachers had not treated it casually.

The makeup artists were already in place and quickly applied their makeup. Some of the trainees even received temporary hair coloring. Once everyone had finished styling, they boarded a car and headed straight for Z University.

The university anniversary finally began.