Chapter 15
The rehearsal started in the afternoon.
When Xing Shi and the others returned to the company, it was just past 3:30. Their teacher, knowing they wouldn’t be able to focus on class, briefly addressed the issues from today and let them manage their own time, with training resuming in the evening.
Xing Shi decided to find a spot to lounge and play on his phone.
A fellow trainee approached, one of the people who had faltered due to nervousness during the rehearsal.
With a worried expression, he asked, “Brother Shi, my performance during rehearsal wasn’t great. Do you think the boss will be mad?”
Xing Shi replied, “He won’t.”
The trainee pressed, “Are you sure?”
Xing Shi assured him, “I’m sure.”
From his observations, Fu Xiuning, though temperamental, wasn’t someone who’d get angry over something so minor. Even with Lin Kecheng—who may have been involved in planning an assassination attempt—hovering around, Fu Xiuning could still remain amicable. Compared to that, this small flaw in a rehearsal was unlikely to even register, let alone upset him. In fact, Fu Xiuning probably hadn’t even taken note of the trainee’s face.
Still, Xing Shi figured saying that might be discouraging, so he added, “This is just a rehearsal, not the actual performance. It’s perfectly normal to make mistakes. Don’t worry about it.”
The trainee seemed somewhat reassured. After thanking him, he went back to practice.
Nearby, someone couldn’t help but ask, “Why is the boss so invested in this performance? He even attended the rehearsal in person.”
Xing Shi glanced at them and replied, “I’m not really that close to him.”
The group stared at him in silence. Being handed mini cakes by the boss during rehearsal—who else could claim that? And you call this ‘not close’?
In this case, silence spoke volumes.
Seeing their expressions, Xing Shi knew their answer and gave up trying to explain.
He pondered for a moment.
If he had to guess, as long as they didn’t cause a major blunder that sparked ridicule from the public, Fu Xiuning wouldn’t care.
He said, “Just… do your best and perform well.”
The group mulled over his words before dispersing.
The second rehearsal was scheduled for a week later.
This time, Fu Xiuning didn’t attend, and the trainees collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, the alliance between Lin Kecheng and Xing Shi expired once again, and they renewed it.
Xing Shi’s goodwill score remained at -7. He and his system had prepared an explanation, but Lin Kecheng didn’t even bring it up this time.
Lin Kecheng had already come to terms with the gap between the “-8” and himself and decided it was better not to think about it.
He asked, “Have you seen him recently?”
Xing Shi replied, “Only once at school. I even had my system ask if you wanted me to find out more about your artist ambitions from our boss, but you refused.”
Lin Kecheng nodded. He felt that bringing it up again too soon after the last time would be repetitive and annoying, showing a lack of tact.
He leaned in and whispered, “The next time you see him, you can mention it like this…”
Xing Shi listened silently and readily agreed, “Sure.”
The system overheard and complained, “He really knows how to flatter himself. Are you seriously going to help him?”
Xing Shi replied, “Of course. He’s an ally; keeping my word is important.”
The system couldn’t figure out what Xing Shi was thinking but didn’t interfere. It believed that someone like Lin Kecheng, no matter how much he struggled, would max out at -4 and wouldn’t pose a threat.
This rehearsal went smoother than the last, with no significant issues.
The trainees performed well and returned to the company in high spirits.
The next morning, Xing Shi returned to school for classes. After his lessons, he decided to use the system’s location feature for the first time to track Fu Xiuning. However, luck was on his side—just as he exited the teaching building, he spotted Fu Xiuning not far away.
As the school anniversary approached, the main roads were adorned with colorful flags. Posters with event themes were visible everywhere on campus. Display boards had also been set up, showcasing the school’s history, achievements of past alumni, and awards won by the current outstanding students.
The school had even invited notable alumni to give lectures, with related posters already up.
Fu Xiuning stood holding two books, looking at one of the posters.
The weather was warming up, and he wore a white shirt and jeans. His scholarly demeanor was as refined and pleasing as ever.
It was rare for Xing Shi to see him so relaxed. Smiling, he walked over. “Senior, what a coincidence.”
Fu Xiuning glanced at him, thinking it wasn’t a coincidence at all—he had come specifically to wait for Xing Shi.
He had looked at Xing Shi’s schedule and knew he had classes in this area, so he’d decided to come. A few days earlier, he had tried to stage an encounter, but Xing Shi had skipped class. Although Fu Xiuning could have gone directly to the company’s training room, it would have drawn attention and lacked a valid reason. Thus, he decided to stick to the school and gradually increase their interactions.
He nodded in acknowledgment and asked, “How was yesterday’s rehearsal?”
Xing Shi walked alongside him. “It went well, very smooth.”
Fu Xiuning inquired, “When’s the final rehearsal?”
“Day after tomorrow,” Xing Shi replied. He then started helping his ally: “Yesterday at the auditorium, I saw Senior Lin collecting information about entertainment companies. He even made a comparison chart—it seems like he’s trying to choose one. But, Boss, our company wasn’t on the list.”
Fu Xiuning glanced at him.
Xing Shi maintained a serious expression. “I think Senior Lin is pretty impressive—he’s popular, emotionally intelligent, and perfect for the entertainment industry. Plus, he’s from Z University, so he could take the academic prodigy route.”
Fu Xiuning continued to watch him, silently waiting for more.
Xing Shi puzzled, added, “I asked him why he didn’t consider our company, but he wouldn’t say. Is it because he doesn’t want to take advantage of connections, or is there some hidden reason I don’t know about?”
After finishing his explanation, Xing Shi’s expression turned earnest as he concluded, “That’s what he said exactly. Let me try to find out more.”
The system was stunned: “?” Was that really the truth?
Fu Xiuning had suspected as much. His tone remained calm: “He really trusts you, telling you something like this.”
The system tensed up, thinking: That’s true. On the surface, Xing Shi and Lin Kecheng haven’t known each other for long. How did they become so close so quickly?
Xing Shi blinked and said, “You might not believe me when I say this.”
Fu Xiuning found the phrasing familiar. After a moment’s thought, he remembered that the system had once asked Xing Shi why he insisted on forming alliances, and Xing Shi had used the same tone.
Curious, Fu Xiuning looked at him, wanting to hear his explanation this time.
Xing Shi said, “Boss, you don’t know this, but Senior Lin has a long-lost younger brother. He said the first time he saw me, he felt a sense of familiarity, like seeing his brother. Maybe that’s why he trusts me.”
Fu Xiuning asked gently, “Then why haven’t you two done a DNA test?”
Xing Shi replied, “I don’t think we look alike enough for our DNA to be related. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so I didn’t bring it up.”
Fu Xiuning let out a soft “Hmm” before asking again, “If he trusts you like a brother, why would you sell him out like this?”
Xing Shi didn’t even blink. “Senior, to be honest, I’ve always wanted an older brother.”
Fu Xiuning paused. “…”
Xing Shi earnestly continued, “The moment I saw you, I wanted you to be my brother.”
Even though Fu Xiuning had guessed where the conversation was headed, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
He had to admit, aside from Xing Shi’s face—which at times left him with a strange, uncomfortable feeling—the kid’s cheeky remarks often hit the right note with him.
?Ding Ding? ?Current goodwill score: -6?
The system was ecstatic: “!” This was a perfect assist!
Xing Shi felt a spark of excitement. Today’s luck was truly on his side, making the upcoming tasks much more manageable.
He asked, “Brother, want to grab some coffee? My treat.”
Fu Xiuning didn’t decline.
The two headed to the nearest café. After ordering, Xing Shi instructed his system to patch things up to avoid Lin Kecheng accidentally exposing anything.
The system, after hearing his plan, sent a message: ?My host followed your instructions and probed Fu Xiuning’s thoughts. He didn’t say much for now—they’re still talking. To build rapport with you, my host mentioned that you have a long-lost younger brother and that the two of you clicked instantly, like real siblings. He also said you dream of conquering the entertainment industry together.?
Upon receiving this, Lin Kecheng was impressed. Thinking Xing Shi was reliable for once, he replied: ?Good, thank him for me. From now on, he’s my sworn brother!?
The system thought: If only you knew how he actually phrased it, you wouldn’t think so.
It relayed the response to its host.
Xing Shi praised the system and yawned, saying, “Give me a Level 2 penalty.”
The system hesitated. “…Huh?”
Xing Shi explained, “It’s rare to sit down with Fu Xiuning, and I just gained a point. I want to boost my state and keep the momentum going.”
The system, moved, said, “Isn’t that too much of a strain? It’s okay; no need to rush. Just chat casually.”
Xing Shi insisted, “Come on. Don’t you want to gain more points?”
Naturally, the system did, so it activated the Level 2 penalty.
Today, Xing Shi wanted to see Fu Xiuning. Passing on Lin Kecheng’s message was just an excuse; the real reason was using Fu Xiuning as a pretext to request a Level 2 penalty.
He had formed alliances with Lin Kecheng four times and reaped benefits each time. Yet, the faint energy flows remained elusive, as though they had never existed. He decided to test things this way.
As the familiar energy flow coursed through his body, he immediately tried to absorb it.
Five seconds later, the penalty ended.
The bad news was that the energy flow linked to the penalty was harder to absorb than the regular kind—he didn’t manage to extract even a sliver.
But the good news was that the pain had lessened, indicating that the small streams of energy from the previous four instances hadn’t dissipated. Instead, they had gone dormant, lying in wait to accumulate further.
Fu Xiuning, sitting across from him, studied Xing Shi without giving anything away.
He could only hear the conversations between Xing Shi and his system and sense the energy fluctuations. He had previously observed others present when a system detached and found that they were completely unaware of the fluctuation.
Xing Shi, however, was a transmigrated host using a body native to this world—a perfectly ordinary human body. So why did it possess so many anomalies?
Moreover, could Xing Shi, like him, perceive energy? Or could he do something beyond that? And if so, what exactly was this “beyond”?
This was a puzzle.
Xing Shi didn’t discuss such matters with his system, leaving Fu Xiuning unable to glean any clues. All he could do was increase their daily interactions, piecing together hints bit by bit to deduce the truth.
He asked, “You’re treating me to coffee, so I’ll get the dessert. Want some?”
Xing Shi perked up. “Absolutely!”
Fu Xiuning went and added two desserts to their order.
The two sat in the café until noon and then had lunch together.
In the afternoon, Xing Shi had training, so he took Fu Xiuning’s car to the company before parting ways.
Two days later, Xing Shi and his group had their final rehearsal. It went just as smoothly as before, leaving everyone confident.
They rested early that night and were up before six the next morning.
This was their first public performance. Even though there was no payment involved, the teachers didn’t cut corners.
The makeup artists were already in place, skillfully applying makeup and, for some, even using temporary hair dye. Once everyone’s styling was complete, they boarded the bus to Z University.
At last, Z University’s anniversary celebration officially began.
