After struggling to escape the crowd, Rong Xianning boarded a business van under the escort of security guards.
anwhile, the other four team mbers were cramd into a beat-up minivan behind him.
The differential treatnt left a chill in their hearts.
As the vehicle drove away, the rearview mirror reflected the frenzied crowd chasing after them, gradually turning into blurry black dots, a dense mass resembling a looming storm cloud.
Rong Xianning calmly withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, and smoothed out the creases on his sleeve. His composed deanor gave no hint that he had just escaped the eye of a storm.
thodically smoothing the wrinkles, he turned his head to look out of the car window. The late-night sky was moonless and starless, shrouded in pitch-black darkness.
Inside the minivan behind them, tension hung heavy in the air.
Ge Qi, who had been holding back his frustration the entire ride, finally couldn’t resist voicing his anger: "We’re all part of the sa group, so why does he get his own business van while we’re forced into this broken-down minivan? It’s just not fair."
Du Yuchun curled his lips: "We’re not even in the sa league as him. He’s the fan favorite, the company’s cash cow. What are we, really, compared to that?"
Xu Si, who wasn’t from their company and had little personal rapport with them, quickly rged into the conversation due to shared resentnt. He chid in, stirring the pot: "Well, ultimately, it’s because of him that we even got the chance to debut as a group. We might as well just suck it up and let him have his way."
Xu Si’s remark instantly set Ge Qi off: "Who among us didn’t fight tooth and nail to stand out in the competition? What does he have to do with us? Why should we have to serve as his damn background props?"
The thought of the unfair treatnt they had endured, coupled with the airport fans’ wild adoration for Rong Xianning while he himself was virtually ignored, made Ge Qi’s heart burn with discomfort.
That smoldering resentnt peaked when they arrived at their run-down hotel and learned that Rong Xianning would stay in a luxurious business suite while the other four were paired off into standard rooms.
Xu Si pulled him toward their room: "Forget it. After all, who can compare to Rong Xianning? We still have to rely on his popularity for any opportunities of our own."
The word "rely" deeply stung Ge Qi’s pride.
Noticing Ge Qi’s dark expression, Xu Si hesitated before adding, "President Ding favors him—we all know that. It’s because he brings enormous profits to the company. We lack the ability to do so, so we end up being sidelined. If you were in President Ding’s shoes, wouldn’t you handle things the sa way?"
"You think he earned that popularity all by himself? Do you know how many fake accounts the company planted online to promote him? He used that pretty face of his to enchant Ding ng, that old hag, to the point of losing all sense over him. Disgusting. Being in the sa group as him makes sick."
Xu Si’s eyes flickered: "Don’t make baseless accusations unless you have evidence. Besides, Rong Xianning is still so young—the youngest among us. Even if he’s ambitious, he wouldn’t stoop to such extres just to climb up the ranks. President Ding is old enough to be his mother."
"You don’t get it. Ding ng, that old hag, has a particular... taste."
"Well, there’s nothing that can be done then. He’s perfectly positioned with timing, resources, and connections on his side. As long as he’s around, the rest of us will forever be in his shadow. That’s just fate, I suppose."
Ge Qi’s gaze grew dark, and he silently lowered his head.
Xu Si crouched down to pack his suitcase. He placed a small dicine pouch on the table before grabbing a change of clothes and heading into the bathroom to shower.
Ge Qi’s eyes lingered on the dicine pouch.
Xu Si had trouble sleeping. He had a relative who worked in a hospital pharmacy and had provided him with pure-form sleeping pills.
Xu Si took one pill every night before bed and needed ten alarms in the morning to wake him up.
Fixing his gaze on the pouch, Ge Qi suddenly thought of a way to "teach Rong Xianning a lesson."
Feng Cheng closed his room door, preparing to visit Rong Xianning.
The other three had clearly and intentionally ostracized Rong Xianning within the group. Feng Cheng, however, maintained a fairly good relationship with him. Of course, this earned him plenty of snide remarks from the trio, but he never cared.
Holding a notebook and a water cup, Feng Cheng wasn’t eting Rong Xianning for leisure—he was seeking help with vocal techniques.
The company had always been generous in investing in Rong Xianning, even hiring top-tier vocal coaches for him. Not only was Rong Xianning diligent and hardworking, but his natural talent and comprehension abilities were exceptional, from which Feng Cheng had learned imnsely.
Feng Cheng had barely walked a few steps when Ge Qi erged from his room.
The sight of him made Feng Cheng shudder. Ge Qi’s temper was infamous. His growing resentnt toward Rong Xianning now extended to Feng Cheng too, resulting in perpetual hostility.
Whenever Feng Cheng encountered him, he wished he could take a detour.
"Feng Cheng," Ge Qi called out to him.
Reluctantly, Feng Cheng approached him, bracing himself: "What is it?"
"I forgot my phone charger. Since your phone model is the sa as mine, could you lend yours?"
Feng Cheng didn’t dare refuse, especially over sothing trivial like a charger. "Sure, I’ll grab it for you from my room."
"Here—let hold onto that for you while you go," Ge Qi offered with an unusually gentle tone. Before Feng Cheng could react, Ge Qi had already taken the items from his hands.
"Go ahead. I’ll wait here in the corridor."
Simple-minded as he was, Feng Cheng didn’t give it much thought. He quickly returned to his room to fetch the charger. Within half a minute, he was back in the hallway where Ge Qi was still standing.
Feng Cheng handed him the charger and reclaid his notebook and water cup.
As he prepared to leave, Ge Qi suddenly asked, "Oh, by the way, what ti is tomorrow’s event? My mind’s a ss—I can’t rember anything."
"Tomorrow afternoon at one. We need to arrive an hour early for a run-through with the organizers, so we’ll leave at eleven."
"With ti needed for hair and makeup beforehand, we’ll need to be up by eight. It’s already one in the morning—shouldn’t you and Xianning get so sleep? What if you oversleep and miss the event? How would we explain that to the organizers?"
"Just because you can’t wake up doesn’t an others can’t. And for the record, you have no idea how dedicated Ningning is. Staying up until three in the morning studying is normal for him, and he wakes up on his own without an alarm. He’d never hold us up."
Feng Cheng, who had shared a dormitory with Rong Xianning for three months, was well aware of his habits. His self-discipline bordered on obsessive. Studying until three in the morning and still waking up early, as sharp as ever, baffled Feng Cheng to no end.
In ti, Feng Cheng had even been influenced by Rong Xianning, feeling guilty if he didn’t study late into the night.
For example, when Feng Cheng sought Rong Xianning’s help with musical theory, Rong Xianning had issued a stern warning on the very first day: if Feng Cheng ever quit midway, he should never seek help again.
Through all the hardship and exhaustion, Feng Cheng gritted his teeth and persisted.
Once, he’d asked Rong Xianning how he managed to maintain peak ntal performance alongside such extre self-discipline. Rong Xianning’s answer was simple: "Sleep. Maximizing deep sleep cycles—four to five hours of uninterrupted deep rest per night can sustain full ntal function during the day. It saves an incredible amount of ti."
Feng Cheng had been utterly amazed after hearing this. No wonder Rong Xianning excelled at everything he did. He seed to stretch twenty-four hours into forty-eight. How could soone like that not succeed?
Determined to follow Rong Xianning’s lead, Feng Cheng resolved to stick by him, feeling like he had found a guiding light for his life.
Ge Qi smiled faintly: "Is that so? Looks like I’ve been wrong about Xianning. You’d better hurry—don’t keep him waiting."
Feng Cheng quickly walked away.
Ge Qi watched his retreating figure, a cold smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
As Feng Cheng reached the door, it opened from the inside.
Rong Xianning stood there, wearing a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants, toweling his damp hair.
Under the light, the boy’s porcelain features seed even more radiant, almost too delicate. No matter how many tis Feng Cheng laid eyes on him, his heart would always race uncontrollably.
Rong Xianning turned around, still toweling his hair, as Feng Cheng stepped inside and shut the door behind him.
"Who were you talking to outside just now?" Rong Xianning asked.
Feng Cheng replied with a grin, "Ge Qi. Ran into him in the hallway—he wanted to borrow my phone charger."
Rong Xianning made an indifferent sound of acknowledgnt and walked into the bathroom.
Feng Cheng shook the cup in his hand: "You sounded like your throat was a bit strained earlier. You’re a singer—you need to take care of it. I brewed so herbal tea for you; make sure you drink it."
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