After the rather lengthy first episode was recorded, the production team arranged a bus for the trainees to move into their dormitory overnight.
A vast ninety-nine people, with their bags and suitcases in tow, crowded together, sleepy as they waited in line to board the bus.
Qin Lu had relatively simple belongings, just a 28-inch suitcase. Unlike most of the trainees who had company from their shared agencies, he seemed quiet amidst the noisy boys.
Many people were secretly looking at this younger competitor. Even without the camera on him, Qin Lu’s back was still straight. When the wind blew his fine black hair into his eyes, he would slightly lower his head and blink a few times. When he wore just a simple white shirt during his performance, he already left a deep impression. Now, in his casual T-shirt, he appeared even more fresh and clean. The longer you looked at him, the more you would involuntarily forget that he had been an ordinary high school student just yesterday.
Oh, right. Teacher Yin Suli said he was very good at studying to the point of being abnormal. Many of the trainees weren't particularly good at their academic studies, so there was a natural distance and a somewhat inexplicable sense of "awe" toward study gods (1). Therefore, even though many people wanted to get to know Qin Lu, they were unsure how to approach him.
This subtle stalemate persisted for a few minutes until it was finally broken by Su Qinglan, who managed to squeeze through the crowd in mild distress.
In contrast to Qin Lu's relaxed demeanor, he his journey was much more exaggerated and difficult. He carried a backpack that was almost half his height, held two supermarket shopping bags filled to the brim, dragged two size 30 suitcases, and had a U-shaped travel pillow hanging around his neck.
The little curly-haired boy, panting for breath, rushed straight to Qin Lu and abruptly stopped in front of him. He threw the bags in his hands, placed his hands on his knees, and met Qin Lu’s surprised eyes. He grinned and said, "So tired, so tired, I've been looking for you everywhere."
Qin Lu glanced at the snacks peeking out of the supermarket bags on the ground and said hesitantly, "This is the luggage you forgot...?"
"Yeah, yeah!" The little curly-haired boy blinked his eyes. He started to ramble on, "Before coming here, I made a list of the things I usually like to eat and went on a shopping spree at the supermarket. Although it usually takes me some time to finish all of these by myself, there will be several people sharing the same dormitory in the future, so we can all divide up the food to eat!
He raised his head and looked at Qin Lu with sparkling eyes. There was a serene and gentle aura about this boy, who was the same age as himself, unlike anyone he had known before.
"What are you thinking?" He glanced at Qin Lu, who was a bit dazed, and pulled out a pack of cheese-flavored biscuits from the supermarket bag. "Here, this is my favorite cheese flavor. You'll understand me after a bite!"
Qin Lu took the pack of biscuits and graciously opened it, taking a bite. Indeed, it had a rich cheese flavor.
However, after giving it some thought, he felt it necessary to remind Su Qinglan. Talent shows like theirs would usually screen for "unnecessary luggage" before allowing them to move in. It was a common and well-known routine that was impossible to escape in all likelihood.
These snacks probably wouldn't survive for more than a few hours in Su Qinglan's hands before being confiscated.
After listening to Qin Lu's brief explanation, Su Qinglan was dumbfounded. He stared dumbly at Qin Lu and subconsciously repeated, "Uh, really?"
Qin Lu wanted to laugh and nodded. "Yes."
Upon hearing this, Su Qinglan's face turned pale. He pulled the hoodie over his head, squatted on the ground like a gray mushroom, and muttered, "How could this be..."
Qin Lu looked at the three buses lined up in a row, then at the trainees who had already entered the bus just now. He bent down and patted Su Qinglan's curly hair, saying, "I have an idea, think about it."
Five minutes later, Qin Lu and Su Qinglan split up and boarded different buses.
The first bus was already full, and when the trainees saw Qin Lu standing in front of the bus, they looked up at him, puzzled.
The trainee with gentle black hair smiled slyly and held up a large white grocery bag.
"Do you want a late-night snack? We have cheese biscuits, spicy sticks, chocolates, and various nuts."
Dozens of hungry and tired trainees: "..."
Eat!
And so, the two large bags of snacks were easily wiped out during the three-hour journey to the dormitory base.
The staff members from the production team who were on the bus also received a pack of chocolate hazelnuts. When Qin Lu handed one to a staff member, they looked up at the handsome trainee, torn between politely declining and accepting it with enthusiasm. After less than a second, they decisively took it and said, "Thank you. Two more packs of spicy sticks, please.”
After leaving a deep impression on the minds of all the trainees, Qin Lu and Su Qinglan slept in a slouched position in the second-to-last row by the window.
More accurately speaking, it was Su Qinglan who slept in a slouched position, and Qin Lu next to him was affected by it.
After sleeping halfway to the destination, everyone was in a trance, moving like sleepwalkers as they quietly got off the bus and retrieved their luggage. While yawning and dragging their suitcases, they entered the dormitory.
It was completely different from what they had imagined before coming, where everyone was excited to explore this and that.
In reality, when one was dog-tired, the grandeur or comfort of the room doesn't matter much. Even those in the A-rank would have to wait until tomorrow for others to envy their presidential suites (2).At this moment, all they wanted in their hearts was to quickly grab a pillow and meet the Sandman.
The room allocation process was chaotic. After finding their assigned dorms, there were to quick "fights" for beds positions. Shortly after, the staff from the production team went door-to-door to collect "prohibited items," confiscating almost everything except for essential clothing and shoes.
Don’t even think about mobile phones and snacks.
In this day and age, it wasn’t a reality show experience without cutting off the internet and isolating oneself from the world.
The usually delicate and refined trainees didn't have the energy to indulge in vanity. Many of them couldn't even be bothered to take a shower and simply collapsed onto their beds without changing clothes.
Sleep first.
Qin Lu and Su Qinglan, both C-rank trainees, were assigned to the same dormitory and opted for bunk beds.
Su Qinglan was so exhausted his mother wouldn’t be able to recognize him. Qin Lu watched as he climbed onto the top bunk with his eyes closed and, while packing his belongings, tried to minimize any noise.
When he previously worked on a film set, Qin Lu often filmed several night scenes consecutively in other to keep up with the schedule, so he was accustomed to this level of work intensity. After organizing his luggage simply, he guessed that there might be an impromptu shoot early the next morning. Therefore, he decided to take a quick shower before going to sleep, to prevent any rush or chaos the next morning.
Sure enough, it was still dawn as a youthful and energetic song suddenly blared through each dorm room.
"……Who's playing this song!!"
"Ah ah ah ah ah I'm so tired."
"What time is it now? Did anyone bring a watch?"
"Fuck, it's 7 o'clock! Does anyone remember what time we came back after we finished last night?"
"I feel like I barely slept..."
Qin Lu opened his eyes for a while, then blinked himself awake quickly. The other three people in the dormitory were still struggling to sit up, except for him. Qin Lu quietly listened unfamiliar song that was looping on the speakers for two minutes, silently memorizing it. While doing this, he tapped Su Qinglan on the upper bunk through the ascending the metal ladder.
"We’ll be gathering soon," he said.
"Hmm...en...?" Su Qinglan, sat up in a daze with his wild curly hair messed up like a bird’s nest. He rubbed his eyes and tried hard to open his eyes to look at Qin Lu. "Oh, Qin Lu, I dreamt that you said pigeons shouldn't be caught and eaten &%¥%¥¥..." (3)
Qin Lu couldn't help but laugh. The song on the broadcast played three times before finally stopping, and then a familiar voice came through—the prerecorded audio of Cui Zhihao, the producer.
"Dear trainees, what you just heard is the theme song of 'Infinite Youth’. It will also be your first publicly performed stage and the recorded video will be released first, as the initial basis for audience voting."
"The performance is just one week away."
The trainees, who were still half asleep, suddenly became wide awake and almost jumped out of their beds in astonishment.
"What?! One week!"
"Yes," Cui Zhihao's voice through the speakers seemed to have anticipated the general reaction of the trainees. With a voice that carried a smile, he said, "Five days later, you will have another rating assessment."
"The assessment results will determine the final A-rank candidates who are qualified to step onto the center stage."
"After that, all trainees will vote, selecting from A-rank one from 99 individuals who is qualified to stand on the diamond stage, the original C-position."
"Now, make good use of your time. Fifteen minutes from now, anyone who hasn't arrived at Studio 3 will lose their qualification to perform on the initial stage."
Qin Lu squinted his eyes slightly.
- - -
Translator’s notes
(1) Xueba; refers to people who are academic overachievers. The ones with amazing willpower, dedication to learning, and excellent knowledge in all areas
(2) As most of you might know from watching shows like idol producer or PD101, the trainees with higher ranks may get better rooming options (i'm not sure if this is still done). Probably presidential compared to everyone else’s
(3) Bro is saying nonsense
(4) C-position: refers to center—oftentimes centers in groups get more screen-time, attention, and are thought to embody the concept. of the group. They are seen as the face of the group, or in this case, the performance—it is considered one of the most important positions
Translator’s corner
Qin Lu: don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing
Production team, innocently smiling: haha hah ahha ha….ha…
My bby Qin Lu playing 4D chess
