APCF – Chapter 63 Shrimp

After struggling through lunch, the Star who often had nosebleeds quickly rushed back to the practice room.

It’s not advisable to exercise right after eating, as it can hurt the stomach, so the program arranged the first class of the afternoon for 1:30 PM. Out of the 29 students in Class F, most went back to their dorms to rest, leaving only seven or eight students in the practice room at this time, repeatedly practicing their moves in front of the mirror.

Qi Xingchen turned around and left the practice room to take a quick look at Class A next door.

Class A had six students, and all of them were present.

This made Qi Xingchen realize that some trainees end up in Class F, not just because of lack of talent or late entry into the industry.

He visited a few other classes before returning to Class F’s practice room. After observing for a while, he walked to the center of the room and asked, “Did you all record the teacher’s video?”

The eight trainees were caught off guard by his question. After a brief pause, they answered, “We did.”

“Pull it up,” Qi Xingchen said, “I’ll learn with you.”

Everyone quickly took out their phones. Qi Xingchen took the first phone handed to him and looked at it.

It only had the teacher’s demonstration video, not the explanation video.

The same went for the others. They had all followed the teacher’s instructions carefully during the explanation but hadn’t had time to record a video.

“…Never mind, put it away,” Qi Xingchen said, feeling a bit of a headache. “Don’t watch the video. I’ll break down the moves for you.”

The trainees were even more surprised upon hearing this.

Qi Xingchen? The star observer? Breaking down the moves?

Looking at his resume since his debut: He played a few small supporting roles in web dramas, appeared in a popular variety show, announced a lead role in a primetime drama that hasn’t aired yet, and became a spokesperson for a perfume brand…

After that, he came to My Era.

Not a single activity related to singing or dancing.

So… can he dance???

Could it be that he’s just showing off in front of the camera, doing some random, half-hearted moves?

To be honest, all eight of them had weak foundations. It wasn’t just about whether they could pick up the moves or not, three days wasn’t enough for them to make any significant progress.

They didn’t want to waste even a second of their time just to watch the star observer perform.

The eight trainees exchanged glances and silently decided to have someone speak up and refuse.

Unfortunately, Qi Xingchen didn’t pay them any attention. He took off his shirt, clapped his hands, and said, “Alright, focus, let’s break down the first eight beats. First, one, two, three, four – the first four beats are silent. On the fifth beat, turn your head, and point your fingers like a gun towards the camera…”

As soon as he finished speaking, he made the first move. The trainees realized there was no chance to refuse, so they had no choice but to reluctantly follow his lead.

The first moves were simple, and they quickly finished the first four eight-beat sections. As they progressed, the trainees’ expressions became more and more shocked.

They began to realize that this star observer wasn’t just showing off.

He hadn’t watched the teacher’s video, but he broke down the movements in a very clear and structured way, clearly having learned them in advance, just like Bo Ye.

Moreover, the power, precision, and even the angles at which he raised his arms were identical to a professional teacher’s. His movements were sharp and clean, with noticeable pop sensations, and he executed waves and robots effortlessly. It was clear that he was no beginner.

They had to admit, he was far stronger than they were.

Even the trainees from Class A, who struggled with dance, were no match for him.

The eight trainees were thoroughly impressed and began to focus on the mirror, carefully following Qi Xingchen’s movements, step by step.

Time always passed quickly during practice. After finishing the first verse of the song, it was already 1:20 PM, and the rest of the F-class trainees slowly trickled into the practice room.

They were in groups, some yawning, some scrolling through their social media, and there was even one chatting on the phone with a friend. When they saw the camera, they quickly put their phones away.

Qi Xingchen furrowed his brow but didn’t say anything. With the camera on, he had to give them some face.

The dance instructor arrived punctually, first warming up the trainees, then saying, “Alright, let’s review the moves from this morning.”

Reviewing wasn’t like learning the moves for the first time. There was no need to break down every single move, so she went through the steps quickly, about half the speed of the main theme song’s tempo.

However, after one round of review, only a few trainees could keep up with her.

“The three in the middle of the first row, the entire second row, and the two on the right in the third row are doing fine. The rest of you aren’t familiar enough,” she said. “Time is tight, so I’ll walk you through it again from the top. This time, no matter what method you use, you must memorize the moves. Got it?”

“O—K—” the trainees replied in drawn-out voices.

With their assurance, the teacher started breaking down the moves again from the top.

But the situation was different from what she had expected. Most of the trainees weren’t focused on memorizing the movements. A few even leaned forward, poking the trainees in the second row:

“You’re learning so fast, your memory is amazing.”

“Thanks. My memory’s average, but Teacher Qi trained us at lunch.”

“Star Observer? Can he dance?”

“Wu Qian!” The teacher finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and shouted, “Focus on your studies! If you want to chat, wait until after class!”

Wu Qian immediately apologized, but as the teacher continued the lesson, he muttered something quietly under his breath.

This outburst made the F-class trainees nervous for a moment. After the morning review of moves, they began learning new steps.

The practice room was once again filled with scattered noises.

Qi Xingchen sat beside the cameraman on the left, clearly noticing the teacher’s face, which now displayed a mix of grievance and frustration.

— She was reluctant to scold the trainees too harshly. What if one of them had fans? What if they criticized her on social media after the show aired?

She could only endure it herself.

“Sorry, I need to interrupt.”

At this moment, a male voice came from the left. The teacher turned around to see Qi Xingchen standing up. He first nodded at her as an apology, then asked, “Could I have five minutes?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you.” Qi Xingchen thanked her and walked over to stand next to the teacher.

The cameraman noticed his tone wasn’t ideal and quickly adjusted the focus to capture a close-up of his upper body. Qi Xingchen’s flawless, poreless face appeared clearly on the screen.

“After lunch today, I went around to check on the different classes. Class A has 6 people, all in the practice room; Class B has 15 people, 13 in the practice room; Class C has 18 people, 14 in the practice room; Class D has 20 people, 13 in the practice room. As for our class, 29 people…”

Qi Xingchen’s voice was low. “Can you guess how many are in the practice room?”

There was an exchange of glances among the trainees, but no one spoke.

“Eight people, only eight people,” Qi Xingchen suddenly raised his voice. “That’s not even half of the 29!”

He was young, not officially a teacher, and the F-class trainees had never paid much attention to him, with no fear of his status.

But hearing him lose his temper now, they were all startled, frozen in place, staring at him with wide eyes.

Qi Xingchen met their gaze directly. “Yes, the first round of evaluations placed F-class at the bottom, which means you have a very high chance of being eliminated. I understand how you feel… But are you really willing to just leave like this?”

“Coming into the group with the expectations of your company and family, sharing the camera with 88 other people, only to be edited down to just two or three shots in the final cut…”

“Within a month, the audience might forget you were ever here—are you willing to accept that?”

His words were harsh, hitting the nail on the head, and the closest trainee to him lowered their head, while those in the back gradually blushed.

“The reason the program hasn’t eliminated anyone in the first two rounds is to give the audience more opportunities to get to know you, to give you a chance to improve yourselves, to campaign for votes, to strive for a spot in the next round,” Qi Xingchen paused. “Unfortunately, today, I only saw eight people seizing the opportunity. They are the ones who stand out.”

“And the rest of you, I don’t know what your plans are, but I have only one thing left to say.”

He took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the four rows of trainees. “I believe each of you came here with dreams of the stage, wanting to join this audition. The stage is big, beautiful, and bright. Since we’ve only been here for half a day, if you make an effort, maybe it’s not too late to stand on it.”

“Tonight, after class ends at 8 PM, I will stay and practice with you. Those who want to go back to the dormitory, feel free to leave. For those who want to stay, I will do my best to answer all your questions.”

“That’s all I have to say. Sorry to interrupt, please continue with the class, teacher.”

After finishing, Qi Xingchen didn’t wait for the trainees’ reactions and turned to leave the practice room.

Turning into the restroom, he leaned his hands on the sink and realized that his breathing was fast and his heart felt heavy.

Compared to the dark, uncertain days in the circus, how could anyone easily give up when they had the chance to be in a bright place?

The light was right in front of them, within reach. Why not strive for it?

He turned on the faucet and splashed a few handfuls of water on his face. The cold sensation in his stomach calmed him a little. He wiped his mouth and slowly walked back to the F-class practice room.

Perhaps the trainees were frightened by him; for the rest of the afternoon, there was no more talking or unprofessional behavior.

Time passed quickly, and before long, it was 8 PM. The teacher announced the end of class. Before leaving, she quietly said to him, “You’ve worked hard.”

“You worked harder,” Qi Xingchen shook his head, watching her leave, then said, “You all go eat. I’ll wait here until 9 PM. If no one’s here by then, I’ll leave.”

After sending the message, he found his WeChat and sent a text to An Ran: [I’ll stay a bit longer. Don’t wait for me, go home with Uncle Qin.]

Putting his phone away, he looked up, only to see that all the trainees were still in their original formation, motionless, gazing at him with hopeful eyes.

“Qi, Teacher Qi…” Wu Qian stammered, “The chorus part was so hard this afternoon, we couldn’t learn it all. Could you practice it with us again?”

Qi Xingchen was stunned.

“We won’t take up too much of your time. Just tell us the key points, and we’ll handle the rest ourselves!”

“……”

Qi Xingchen rubbed his nose, took off his jacket, and said, “What are you still looking at me for? Play the music!”

Class D’s progress was faster than F-class, and they had already completed all the dance moves today. Tomorrow, they would consolidate them for half a day before switching to vocal lessons.

At 8:30, Bo Ye arranged for the selected class leaders to train the students. Before leaving, he wanted to see if Qi Xingchen had left yet, so he headed towards the F-class practice room.

As the door was pushed open, the sight inside was a chaotic mix of young men stretching their arms, kicking their legs, and groaning in despair, creating an atmosphere resembling a wild dance of demons.

Amidst the chaotic movements, the person he was looking for was holding his arms crossed, with the top of his tracksuit tied around his waist, weaving between the trainees. His voice was nearly on the verge of breaking:

“Use your upper arms to lead the movement when doing the wave, why are you flapping your arms like that? You’re not a goose!”

“Lower your waist, keep lowering… Yes, that’s it, don’t be afraid of the pain. You’ll get used to it!”

“Don’t rush to the next move if you haven’t finished the last one. If you’re all panicked, none of the moves will be right. Practice each move properly first before worrying about transitions. Do you think the audience won’t notice your sloppy movements?”

“Oh, nice split… What? You didn’t do a split? Then why are your legs spread so wide? Bring them back together!”

The trainees being called out didn’t get angry, but instead smiled and happily corrected their postures while trying to appease Qi Xingchen.

The room was filled with a warm and lively atmosphere… If only the smell of sweat weren’t so strong, it would be even better.

Bo Ye’s eyes followed Qi Xingchen’s movements as he walked around, and after about five minutes, an observant trainee opened their mouth in surprise: “Bo, Teacher Bo!”

“…Hmm?” Qi Xingchen instinctively turned his head.

When his gaze met the tall figure standing in the doorway, he immediately dropped his arm and stood at attention, his previously wild expression turning respectful.

“D Class is done with their class?” he asked Bo Ye obediently.

“No, I asked the class leader to take them for practice,” Bo Ye shook his head. “How much longer do you need?”

“Not sure. Their basics are weak, so I’m staying to help them with the details.”

“Alright,” Bo Ye said as he removed his jacket. “Then I’ll stay and help you teach them.”

Upon hearing this, the trainees in F class jumped up in excitement. They hadn’t expected Bo Ye to personally step in for Qi Xingchen.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that almost half of the people in the room were fans of either Ye Kong or random passersby.

To be able to interact with their favorite stars up close was almost too exciting!

Bo Ye was always decisive and acted quickly. He immediately began guiding each trainee, starting with the first row.

Qi Xingchen didn’t mind skipping a meal himself, but he didn’t want Bo Ye to go hungry. Thankfully, An Ran insisted on staying, so he took An Ran and went to buy take-out for both D and F classes.

Since the F class practice room was the largest, he brought the food back there. Bo Ye simply invited the D class people to join them, and soon, everyone gathered in a large circle.

After distributing the food, Wu Qian, sitting across from Bo Ye, looked at Bo Ye’s lunch box, then at his own, and said, “Hey, Teacher Bo’s lunch box looks so fancy, it’s different from ours.”

Someone beside him quickly elbowed him and whispered, “Can the teacher’s lunch be the same as ours? Just eat your own!”

“But… but Teacher Qi’s lunch is the same as ours… The dishes are all the same—broccoli, cabbage, fish-flavored shredded pork, braised pork. Teacher Bo’s has quinoa, steak, and… oh, there are big shrimp!”

“Wow… you’re right.”

Their conversation wasn’t exactly quiet, and Bo Ye heard it. He glanced at the little fan.

The fan quickly turned their back to him, using their hips as an axis and pushing off the ground with their legs, trying to hide their face.

Bo Ye couldn’t help but laugh.

Three minutes later, Qi Xingchen extended a hand from his side. Before anyone could see what was in his hand, two shrimp were added to his lunch box.

D class & F class: “Oh, oh, oh!!!”