In each dormitory, chaos ensued as everyone instantly woke up and began to rush to wash up in the bathroom.
With messy hair, Lu Zhi’s composure broke, "Oh no, where's my toothbrush!"
Beside him, Nan Xiao turned his head and noticed that he was squeezing something very familiar in his hand, "Why are you using my facial cleanser... Oh well, we'll talk about it later."
In front of the mirror, Song Yiran, who was hurriedly styling his hair, suddenly jumped, "Hey, watch where you step! These slippers cost two months' salary!"
Meng Yixin, who was brushing his teeth, took a small step back, "Sorry, sorry, I'll let you step back. I bought these combat boots on Taobao during last year's Double 11 (1), and they were sold out within seconds. I'll reluctantly let you step on one pair and throw away the other."
Toothpaste foam and facial cleanser splattered in all directions as four people squeezed into a small bathroom of about seven to eight square meters, filling it with lively energy.
The dormitory of Class C was on the same floor as Lu Zhi and the others from Class B. When they saw Qin Lu passing by the doorway, their eyes almost popped out of their sockets—
Not only was he neatly dressed, but his hair was unlike their messy or greasy hair from staying up late, instead appearing fluffy and clean. Perhaps it was due to his younger age and peak physical condition that he didn't have dark circles under his eyes and looked refreshing.
Help, Qin Lu didn't just not resemble a group of refugees like them, but he seemed even more energetic than he did yesterday!
Qin Lu raised his head and coincidentally met Lu Zhi’s incredulous gaze. He gave a slight smile and said, "Good morning?"
Lu Zhi forgot that he hadn't washed his face yet, and his face turned green. At the same time, he received immediate mockery from Song Yiran.
Nan Xiao, with his paralyzed face, spoke in a friendly tone, "Good morning." In order to save time, he spoke rapidly as if performing a rap, "How did you tidy up so quickly? You look like you even washed your hair. Is this the methodical halo of a study god?
Qin Lu: "..."
Qin Lu lowered his head and glanced at his watch. Su Qinglan would still need some more time to finish getting ready, so he simply leaned against the door frame to watch them wash up and offer a few words. "I thought the production team might wake us up early on the first day, so I prepared the toiletries I would need this morning in advance, so it was faster."
Nan Xiao quickly finished rinsing his mouth and used the back of his hand as a makeshift towel to wipe the water off his chin. "Wow, do all study gods have such meticulous planning and resourcefulness?"
Qin Lu couldn't help but want to smile. He blinked and nodded. "Yes, you're right."
Time was running out. Qin Lu chose not to leave on his own but patiently waited for Su Qinglan and Lu Zhi and the others to somewhat "tidy up" before they all picked up the pace and headed towards Studio 3 together.
Along the way, they could see other trainees rushing out of their rooms to join the group. When they crossed the square in front of the dormitory building, the scene resembled the feeling of temporary gatherings during military training (2).
When they arrived at the studio, they saw Producer Cui Zhihao already standing on the stage, waiting for them. The minute hand was just pointing at fifteen, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at each other’s windblown states, they couldn’t hold in their snorts.
Nan Xiao patted Qin Lu on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up with a paralyzed face. "Thanks for helping us keep track of time. Otherwise, Lu Zhi would have swallowed a few more mouthfuls of face wash and still wouldn't have made it on time."
Lü Zhixin's face was still a bit green. He recalled the taste from earlier and couldn't help but kick Nan Xiao. "Shut up."
Nan Xiao kicked back unceremoniously, "Talk to me when you start using your own face wash."
Qin Lu smiled and shook his head as the studio doors closed right on time on the fifteen minute deadline.
He looked at Producer Cui Zhihao on the stage, who had a large screen behind him. With a smile, he then raised the microphone and said, "Very good, everyone is here on time. This is the first rule you need to follow in your future careers: don't be late."
The exhausted trainees had not expected to wake up early for this reason and felt a sense of despair upon hearing this "educational" explanation.
"Without further ado, let's get straight to the point," Cui Zhihao said, holding a procedural card in his hand and reading it succinctly. "The song you heard this morning is the theme song of our show 'Infinite Youth.' It's called 'Our Youth Belongs to Us'. You will have four to five days to prepare for the debut stage of this song. Starting today, the mentors will take turns teaching classes in each ranked class. The content and progress of the lessons will vary based on the different ability levels. In the afternoons, you will have self-directed practice. Five days from now, each class will record individual performance videos, and the mentors will grade them, changing rankings."
"After the second evaluation, trainees who are A-rank will occupy the center position on the debut stage. All trainees will then vote for the center position of the Diamond Stage from the A class."
"The debut stage performance video will be posted on the official program website and Weibo, and the voting channel will be opened at the same time."
"Everyone can participate in recording the performance video, but only those with strong ability will have more significant screen time. I believe you all understand what I mean. However, the trainees with the skills in the D and F ranks will not have the opportunity to perform on the public stage in seven days."
The wailing of many trainees suddenly filled the venue.
Qin Lu listened quietly, his eyes cast downward, thoughts inscrutable.
"For those whose skills are currently not sufficient, there is no need to be overly anxious. This is just the beginning. The public performance in seven days is not a formal performance but rather a reward-based flash mob event. It will take place at the nearby Leyuan Shopping Center in Huayan City."
Qin Lu had some understanding of flash mobs, which were surprise events without prior notice. After the performance, they would immediately leave.
As for performing in a shopping center with a lot of people, most of the trainees who had never performed in front of an audience before might be so nervous that it affects their performance. However, Qin Lu was familiar with such commercial performances.
In the previous life, when Qin Lu was not yet very popular, the endorsement contracts he received were quite demanding. He had to participate in at least two to three stage events per year, which involved public promotion meetings with brands in major shopping malls in first-tier cities. His fans would receive advance notice to come and see him, but there would also be many passers-by there to watch the liveliness.
For newcomers, these events provided an opportunity for mutual promotion and self-development. However, once they became A-list celebrities, they would no longer engage in such activities, and brands would not offer them these types of contracts.
After Qin Lu’s status stabilized, he secured several high-end global endorsement deals, which only required him to regularly shoot commercials.
Although the nature of these activities varied, those stage events and the shopping center flash mob mentioned by Cui Zhihao should be quite similar in nature.
If one performed exceptionally well, this would be an excellent opportunity to be noticed by passersby and generate interest. In this era of rapid development of social media and the internet, a short video of thirty seconds uploaded casually could make an ordinary person gain astonishing attention overnight. Once one impressed passer-by during this event, it was possible to achieve a small-scale breakthrough and gain the first batch of potential fans.
"Let's first watch a demonstration video of the theme song."
The lights dimmed, and the large screen slowly lit up.
There were still about five days remaining.
Qin Lu watched the video on the big screen. He will definitely seize this first exposure opportunity.
(1) Refers to an annual shopping festival that happens on nov 11, which is also bachelor’s day in China. Think amazon prime day but bigger
(2) Chinese students are required to undergo mandatory military training—this is what they’re referring to, if it seems sudden
